Happy Thanksgiving

Last night we had our monthly Johnson dinner and FHE. We of course talked about the pilgrims and Indians and read in 1 Nephi 13:11-19 (where Nephi prophesies of the Gentiles discovering America). I was really impressed how well both Rylie (niece) and Jacquie could answer questions about the ship the Pilgrims sailed on (my brothers were shouting out Columbus ships). We also learned that the Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11,1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast. My mom closed FHE asking the grand kids what they were thankful for. Of course we got freedom of worship, America, houses, food, etc. Then Jacquie pipes in that she was thankful that we have all our blood in our bodies (as if the Pilgrims only had 1/2. Yeah, that was their problem we decided :) Way to think out of the box Jac!! I found this article in the Parade Magazine and is a fun read about the "real" first Thanksgiving meal. Happy Thanksgiving from the Larsen 4!