Finding Meaning

November 21, 2019

1917

Thanksgiving Remembered

The Beautiful Wife is the guardian of tradition in our home. We’re decorating for Thanksgiving, a celebration first observed by the Pilgrims in 1621. Did you have an ancestor on the Mayflower? You may have; it’s estimated that one in seven Americans descends from a Mayflower passenger, though most don’t know it. Would you like to know? You can—check out the Ancestry Club headed by Beth Sand at the Susi Q Center. They’ll help you figure it out, for free, and in the process, you may get the family history bug.

To help your Thanksgiving, here are three interesting, but generally unknown, facts about the Pilgrims. First, the Pilgrims were unusual for their courage. In the spirit of the Reformation, started nearly a century before by Martin Luther in 1517, they separated from the Church of England, a radical act of defiance against James I that led to persecution. They fled to Leiden, Holland, and 11 years later fled again, to the New World on the Mayflower. In the first winter, half of them died of disease. Yet, they persevered in their quest to build a new Zion, and unknowingly laid a foundation for the greatest democracy ever. Is there anything in history to match this Pilgrim accomplishment?

Second, the Pilgrims were brilliant in their own defense. They lived aboard the Mayflower the first winter, building homes and a fort in Plymouth that also served as town hall and chapel. The two-story fort, armed with cannon taken from the Mayflower, had a commanding view of town and harbor. They also formed a militia led by Myles Standish, an experienced soldier. The Pilgrims then made a mutual defense treaty with the local Indians that effectively kept the peace for 50 years. This combination of strong defense and proactive peace-making is a model we can still follow.

Third, they were humble enough to learn from the Native American, Squanto. Squanto had been captured by an explorer and taken to Spain. From Spain, he passed to England where he learned English and was returned to his native land in 1619, to find his tribe exterminated by disease. Squanto provided invaluable service to the Pilgrims, acting as translator with local tribes, and teaching how to plant corn fertilized by dried fish, and to hunt game, including a local eel. Squanto enabled the abundant harvest celebrated by our first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Sunday, Lagunans will gather for a 4 p.m. interfaith Thanksgiving service. This year we meet at United Methodist Church. As part of the service, a new award will be given, the Interfaith Council Award for Contributions of a Spiritual Dimension. (I guess in time we’ll come up with a handier name.) It’s a local award based on the global Templeton Prize to recognize spiritual contributions. Templeton Prize winners include Mother Teresa, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Desmond Tutu. The first Laguna award will recognize the many years of community service by our own Ann Richardson (1937-2018). There’s meaning in that.

Skip fell in love with Laguna on a ‘50s surfing trip. He’s a student of Laguna history and the author of “Loving Laguna: A Local’s Guide to Laguna Beach.” Email: [email protected]

Places to worship (all on Sunday, unless noted):

Baha’i’s of Laguna Beach—contact [email protected] for events and meetings.

Calvary Chapel Seaside, 21540 Wesley Drive (Lang Park Community Center), 10:30 a.m.

Chabad Jewish Center, 30804 S. Coast Hwy, Fri. 6 p.m., Sat. 10:30 a.m., Sun. 8 a.m.

Church by the Sea, 468 Legion St., 9 & 10:45 a.m.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 682 Park Ave., 10 a.m.

First Church of Christ, Scientist, 635 High Dr., 10 a.m.

ISKCON (Hare Krishna), 285 Legion St., 5 p.m., with 6:45 feast.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, 20912 Laguna Canyon Rd., 1:00 p.m.

Laguna Beach Net-Works, 286 St. Ann’s Dr., 10 a.m.

Laguna Presbyterian, 415 Forest Ave., 8:30 & 10 a.m.

Neighborhood Congregational Church (UCC), 340 St. Ann’s Drive, 10 a.m.