I have spent many hours
speaking to the ghosts of Thanksgivings past, to those stalwart souls who
survived the early years of life in these United States. I have often pondered
just why it was so amazingly cold during those particular years. In 1776 the Potomac
river froze over. In the follow on years, the cold was so tremendous that most
babies died of starvation. It is a wonder that anyone survived the severe cold.
However, one year was especially
viciously cold. The year was 1789. At the beginning of this year, an unknown
volcano in Iceland belched out 56 billion
tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere of this planet for a staggering
eight months straight. That loss of sunlight created a devastating
situation globally and ultimately led to the riots throughout Europe, and
precipitated the beginning of the French Revolution. Rivers all over Europe
froze. Crops died from the sulfur dioxide. There was famine across all of
Europe – which pushed more people to come to the United States hoping for a
better future.
Those
plucky settlers who came to the United States were also affected by this
massive amount of sun-blocking chemicals, for the jet stream would have spread
this choking poison all over the planet. But no one knew this. All they knew
was that every winter day was a torture of the unending struggle of never
having enough to eat, never feeling completely warm and never having a sense of
complete safety. I'm sure they must have wondered if life could possibly get
any harder.
Children
died of starvation faster than adults. Very probably all would have perished
without the kindness of the Native Americans who shared their ways, successful
ways that seemed ‘savage’ to the Europeans but were the pathways that enabled
the native peoples to thrive in this bountiful land. Perhaps that lesson is
that there is bounty all around you if you know how to find it. Sometimes you
simply need to have someone teach you how to see it and even sometimes what it
looks like!
So
as we gather around our plentiful tables, perhaps we can give special thanks to
all of those people who paved the way for us to be here today, by sacrificing
what was warm, plentiful and safe for the rugged, often heartless adventure,
that was and still is, the United States.
Photography by Tina Erwin
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