It is no coincidence that our national Thanksgiving tradition can be traced to some of our most challenging times. The Pilgrims are, of course, credited with marking the first Thanksgiving in 1621 to express gratitude for surviving rough passage aboard the Mayflower and the difficulty of building homes and finding food in the New World. Nearly two-and-a-half centuries later in the midst of a civil war, New Hampshire’s Sarah Josepha Hale, author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” would succeed in a tireless campaign to have Thanksgiving enshrined by President Lincoln as an annual American ritual.
Offering thanks is a natural expression both of our humanity and our mortality. With each November comes a time for all of us to show appreciation for the blessings we have. Some each year use the holiday to no doubt give thanks for the miracle of football or the onset of the Christmas shopping season. But as we gather around our festive tables in another era of challenge for so many of our neighbors, I suspect many of us will be holding our families especially tight and looking a little deeper.
It is difficult to imagine what those first few Thanksgivings were like for early settlers—both at Plymouth and at Odiorne Point here in the Granite State—when folks were forced in a harsh climate to rely on their faith, hard work, and the support and generosity of their community for survival. Now, as then, is a time for each of us to recognize the blessings we have that can’t always be measured in material worth: the abundant natural beauty and comfort of community our state offers, the sacrifice of soldiers and veterans whose valor has kept us free, the people who make our lives better each day.
Since re-launching the Troubadour last year, we have focused heavily on highlighting individuals who make our state and communities better places to call home – individuals like Plymouth’s Jessica Dutille profiled on the opposite page. They are retirees and volunteers, caregivers, teachers, knitters, soldiers, and advocates for those who can’t help themselves. And thanks to your suggestions and nominations, they are receiving the recognition they deserve.
On behalf of everyone at the Troubadour and my family, I want to express deepest gratitude for your continued readership and thoughtful contributions, and to wish each of you the happiest of holidays.
