What Was the Name of That Ship?

Last week Danielle was talking to the kids in the library at Anderson Elementary about Thanksgiving. She mentioned the Pilgrims and asked if anyone knew the name of the ship on which they came to America. One little boy raised his hand and said excitedly, “I know, I know.” Danielle said, “Okay, tell us the name of the ship on which they came.” He said, “They came over on the Cauliflower.”

Well, that’s close. Actually, they came over on the Mayflower. They had intended to come on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower, but the Speedwell sprang a leak just off the coast of England. They returned to port and all crowded onto the Mayflower. There were 102 passengers on board, as well as a crew of about 25. They left on September 16, 1620, and arrived on November 21, 1620. They had intended to arrive at the mouth of the Hudson River, but they went off course and dropped anchor inside Cape Cod Bay.

The people on board the ship were primarily Puritans. They got their name from the fact that they desired to “purify” the Church of England. They ran into great opposition led by the Church of England and the English government, however, and in a quest for greater religious liberty, they made the long and hazardous voyage to the new world.

Upon arriving in Cape Cod, they remained with the ship until the following spring. They went ashore then, and the Mayflower left for England on March 28, 1621. The Pilgrims began carving out a new life in this new world. Even though they had endured many hardships and losses, one of the first things that they did was to declare a day of thanksgiving. We are indebted to these pilgrim people who modeled thanksgiving. They found reasons for thanksgiving, and so should we.

When you are at a circus, there is a ring announcer who is always calling things to your attention, which are important. “Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the center ring. Here is something you don’t want to miss.”

Or, at a track meet, the announcer will emphasize some event. “The bar on the high jump is now set at seven feet. Please direct your attention to this next attempt.”

But in life there is no one doing that. No one is pointing out things of great value. No one is calling attention to them. If you are going to see the great things, which are in your life, you must have spiritual sensitivity.

This Thanksgiving we need to let the Spirit of the living Lord direct our attention to all the great things in our lives. And once we have seen them we need to declare it a season of thanksgiving.

I am grateful that the ship on which the Pilgrims came was named the Mayflower, not the Cauliflower. I never have cared much for cauliflower, but I love the Mayflower and all that it brings to mind at this season of the year.