Thanksgiving 2007

With all of the revisionism going on these days I thought it appropriate to commemorate the simple beginnings that have proven to be the foundation of our heritage. Having visited Plymouth last year and seen the "new" markers that state Thanksgiving is a "Day of Mourning" I thought it appropriate to share some history that doesn't get spoken about much. This excerpt was taken from an article written by the founder of VisionForum.com (a wonderful resource for accurate historical information). It struck me deeply as we rarely see God praised in our historical markers as clearly as this. Enjoy...



A Faithful Remnant

It’s easy to look at the new, historically inaccurate and politically motivated monuments now standing near Plymouth Rock and feel defeated. But more than a little hope can be found in the story of another monument, the most magnificent and prominent historical marker in the town.
Back in 1989, a Plymouth council had convened to determine the fate of the Founders Monument. The colossal structure, completed in 1889, stands 81 feet tall and was designed to communicate the Pilgrim ideals of faith, morality, education, law, liberty and justice.
The monument was complete and perfect in every respect but one. For more than 100 years, one side had remained uninscribed, primarily because no one could decide what should be written on it.

Fearing that some future generation might be less generous with the Pilgrim legacy, Jehle moved to have a quote from Bradford etched on the stone tablet. The motion was doomed, except for one small fact. Seated in the audience that day, for the first time ever, was an octogenarian from Florida named Verna Orndorff, well known for her generous patronage, who had flown in to attend her first and last meeting.

Jehle read the Bradford quote:

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand Who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light kindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

With tears in her eyes, the elderly Mrs. Orndorff declared: “My father had me memorize this quote when I was a little girl.... If you will vote for it, I will pay for it.”

The great quote is now etched on the monument and stands as an ever-present reminder to every one of the estimated 35 million physical descendants of the 50 people who survived the first winter, and to an entire nation that owes its gratitude to those first settlers. The message? That few visions have ever been as beautifully realized as that embraced by this ragtag band of devoted moms and dads.

Douglas W. Phillips is president of Vision Forum (http://www.visionforum.com/),a family ministry in San Antonio, Texas.