Move Over, Plymouth Rock

How about a familiar story: White guy comes to the New World from Europe, shares a meal with native people, and settles in a place that becomes America's first permanent European settlement.

The place? St. Augustine, Florida.
The date? September 8, 1565, 54 years before the arrival of settlers to Berkley Hundred, Virginia ad 56 years before the Pilgrims supped with the Wampanoag.
The activity? Catholic Mass, followed by a meal of bean soup with the Timucua Indians.
The guy? Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, of Asturias, Spain.



Here's an interesting article on the subject from USA Today.

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A friend just returned from a trip to Jordan with her daughter. They enjoyed the camel rides and the visit to Petra, but they had to sideline their side visit to Saudi Arabia because a) women are not allowed to travel alone there and b) they needed a man to represent them for their visa application at the consulate, and things didn't work out in time.

So, on the top of my list of reasons to say "Happy Thanksgiving" today is FREEDOM.



If I could make a true list of all the things for which I'm thankful, it would (or should) be practically endless. But here's a short ad hoc list, one I limited to any 10 items that came to mind within the first hour of getting out of bed:

-food, shelter, and clothing: our basic needs in abundance
-my husband's patience and affection
-my children's health and happiness
-the option to take a warm shower any time I feel the need to clean up
-reliable indoor plumbing
-a quiet beeper (for now)
-friends and family who accept me as is
-books (and the literacy and education to be able to enjoy them)
-music
-computer technology

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL - AND MAY THE SEASONS TO COME ALWAYS BE FILLED WITH THANKFULNESS AND THE FREEDOM TO ENJOY EVERY BLESSING.

Photo by Colin Gregory Palmer