Compared to the Pilgrims, we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving

This replica of the Mayflower in Plymouth, MA,

helps us to appreciate our blessings as we

celebrate another Thanksgiving.

Last year was the 400th Anniversary of the first Thanksgiving. Not the first day it was officially celebrated in the United States but the day when Pilgrims and Indians first sat down and celebrated the fall harvest together.

The Pilgrims, after an arduous journey on the Mayflower, had arrived in the New World in December of 1620. It was only a year later, in November of 1621, that the celebratory meal was shared.

For those who arrived in present-day Plymouth, MA, had great cause for thanks. The passage across the North Atlantic was storm filled and five of the 102 passengers failed to survive. But surviving the trip didn’t guarantee survival overall; another 45 of the 102 Mayflower passengers died in the winter of 1620-21. This made the fall harvest of 1621 crucial. 

The handful of Plymouth Colony survivors were depending on a good harvest to provide them with the nutrition they would need to survive their second winter in America. 

It is said that they celebrated the event with a meal that included turkey, fish and shellfish, fruits and vegetables, potatoes and pumpkin pie. No one is absolutely sure that was the menu that day, but it was undoubtedly a feast, at least by their standards.

There was no thought of watching a football game on the television. No one worried about whether they left the garage door open before they drove to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. 

There was no gas oven or microwave to assist with the cooking. There was no refrigerator to keep things cold until ready for cooking or the table. This was a celebration that, by our standards today, was enjoyed in the harshest conditions. And yet, they were thankful.

This, they say, is the original Plymouth Rock.

True or not, it's a symbol of the arrival of the

Pilgrims in 'The New World.'

Today, we have all those comforts. We have widescreen televisions to watch professional athletes playing football. We have homes that are heated. Properly done, the meal, from main course to side dishes and desert, will arrive on the table at the intended and coordinated times.

We live in a world of these comforts. That includes fine homes, jobs to earn money that will put the food on our Thanksgiving tables, a nice car and a garage where we can park it out of the elements. And we have garage doors with remote garage door openers to open and close that garage door so we don’t even have to get out of the car when it rains, or even when it’s dry.

All-in-all, we have a lot to be thankful for.

All of us at Garage Doors and More wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving.