Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!  
Here are some resources to help your family think about why we celebrate Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims were willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom to worship God as they believed.

As we enjoy a great feast with friends and loved ones, let’s take time to give thanks to God, to retell the story of the Pilgrims and the incredible price they paid, and to recommit ourselves to pay the price to be true in our day.


Read

• The Pilgrims Depart from the Old World
  
• Pilgrims Arrive in the New World
  
• The Mayflower Compact
  
• Stories of the Pilgrims 
  
• Plimoth.org: Just for Kids
  
• Five Kernels of Corn
  
• George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
  
• Abraham LIncoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
  
• Thanksgiving Quotations
  
• Paying the Price to Be True

Watch

• Plimoth Plantation Virtual Field Trips
• The Story of Thanksgiving
• William Bradford for Kids
  
• Squanto, the Legendary Friend of the Pilgrims
  
• Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
  
• Let’s Learn about the Mayflower
  
• The Mayflower Story
  
• A Thanksgiving Message from Ronald Reagan
• It's a Wonderful Life  (about gratitude, but not about Thanksgiving)

Do

• Work together to prepare your Thanksgiving feast and to clean up afterwards.
• Do something nice for a military family and tell them how thankful you are for them.
• Make or draw "We Are Thankful for You" posters or pictures and deliver them to friends and neighbors.  Kids love to make it an anonymous surprise.  Tape the picture to the front door or on the windshield of a car, ring the doorbell, and run.
• Take pictures of things you are thankful for and make a "Gratitude Scrapbook."
• The Pilgrims and Indians had friendly competitions.  You could participate in the local Turkey Trot, play games like catch, football, horseshoes, or frisbee golf.  
• Make Pilgrim Hats and Indian Headdresses for the kids.
• Do the Five Kernels of Corn activity.
  
• Make a Gratitude Craft.
  
• Do some Plimoth.org: Just for Kids Activities.
• Do some Apples4theTeacher.com Activities.
• Choose an activity from the William Bradford Resource and Activity Book.

The pilgrims who settled in America loved and honored God.  They tried to govern their lives in a way that pleased Him.  

Their character and faith was evident in all they did, even in the governing documents they created.

Here is a short video about The Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of their community.

"This day, before we came to harbour, observing some not well affected to unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was thought good there should be an association and agreement, that we should combine together in one body and to submit to such government and governors as we should by common consent agree to make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows, word for word."  ~William Bradford

The Mayflower Compact

"In the name of God, Amen. 

"We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. 

"Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; 

"And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. 

"In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


What Does the Mayflower Compact Tell Us?

• The Pilgrims created their governing document "in the name of God."  God is very important to them.  They want to govern their lives in a way that is pleasing to HIm.

• They are loyal subjects of King James.
  

• Their purpose for leaving  their homes and sailing across the ocean to form a new colony in Virginia is to glorify God, to advance the Christian faith, and to honor their King and country.
  

• They are forming a government to keep order, stay alive, and to fulfill their stated purposes.
  

• This document gives them the power to form the laws, rules, and offices needed for the good of the colony.
  

• As leaders of the government, they promise submission and obedience to the people.

Read More:  The Mayflower Compact

150 years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln gave one of the most important speeches in American history.  

The Gettysburg Address lasts less than three minutes, but it is known as one of the most influential speeches ever given.  


At a time of great turmoil, division, and suffering, President Lincoln’s words were healing and unifying.  They invite all to give increased devotion to “a new birth of freedom."

Here are two very different renditions of the Gettysburg Address.  They are both great and you can watch them both in a little more than five minutes.

The first one shows meaningful pictures that give context  for the speech.

The second one is super cool for moms to watch.  A two-year-old boy recites the address from memory.  If we use our time well, our children are capable of happily learning and remembering much more than we realize.  If we help them, they can carry our heritage in their minds and hearts. 

The Gettysburg Address

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. 

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."  

~Abraham Lincoln

Photo:  Lincoln presents the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet
Painted by:  Francis Bicknell Carpenter in 1864

President Obama has plans for your healthcare.

That many progressives, including Obama, are hoping Obamacare is a preliminary step to a single payer system is painfully obvious.  

Here is Obama in his own words.

As Americans, we live in abundant freedom, peace, and prosperity.  Few people in all the history of the world have enjoyed the blessings we often take for granted.  

But there is a price attached to freedom.  Our men and women in the military sacrifice every day.  Many live in hell, some fight and are wounded, others pay the ultimate price.  

Each one sacrifices much they hold dear to keep us free. 

Here are some great ways to honor our veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day.  

• Attend your local Veterans Day Parade.  Wear red, white, and blue.  Take pictures.  Express appreciation to any veterans you may see.  Invite your kids to look for opportunities to say thank-you too.  Usually, even teens come home happy that they went.

• Visit with a veteran.  Whether you call, visit them, or invite a vet into your home, this can become a favorite family tradition.  My dad and father-in-law both served in World War II.  We call them for Veterans Day and Memorial Day and invite them to tell us about their experiences.  Of course, we've heard the same stories before, but we never get tired of them.  We hope our kids tell them to our grandkids so our family legacy is passed from one generation to the next.

• Thank a military family.  You could make them a card or a poster and take them a treat.  Tell them how grateful you are for the sacrifices they are making (or have made) for our country.  Be sure to make plenty of treats so your family can have some when you return home. 

• Pray for those who are serving and their families.  Talk about some of the sacrifices military families make, and ask God to bless them.  

• Watch "The Price of Freedom."   It's an amazing tribute, a powerful history lesson, and a touching musical you will always remember.
  

• Serve.  Not everyone serves in the military, but we can all do something to lighten the burdens of those who do and their families.  Talk with your family about the best way you can help. The happy glow that comes from serving others may be your favorite part of the holiday. 
  

• Keep a family history book. Include in it stories of grandpas, uncles, and other family members who have served in the military. Share inspirational experiences and include plenty of pictures. A family history book can become a favorite source for bedtime stories! 

• Set up a tent. Talk about what the life of a soldier is like.  If it's too cold outside, you could set up a tent in the house, complete with sleeping bags, snacks, and great stories.

• Read or tell a patriotic story.  Share your feelings about the blessings we enjoy in America.  If you don't have any stories handy, you could read "Our Father" or "I Knew You Would Come."  Or you could watch some of the videos at PatrioticMoms.com, like the video of soldiers being reunited with their families. 

Dear Daughter,

You’re far too young to be aware of this, but, in the last few days, many people have watched a video of a model being “altered” by photoshop. It shows her artificial transformation from real and attractive to fraudulent and malformed — or, as they call it in the fashion world, “sexy.”

See, nowadays we use computers to “improve” images of real women, which is quite appropriate. After all, computers are manmade creations, just as our modern conception of “beauty” is a manmade creation.

 Modern “beauty” — or whatever you want to call it — certainly isn’t natural, and it most assuredly doesn’t come from God. It’s manufactured. It’s a product. True beauty, on the other hand, is art. It’s full of life. It’s unique and dynamic and vibrant.

It’s real. It’s you.

Hollywood and the fashion industry have concocted a “beauty” that is separate and apart from reality. What they sell is a marketing ploy. It’s assembly line sexy. It’s about as beautiful as the canned food aisle at Walmart. Those plastic, painted, stick-figures you see on TV and in magazines — they are androids. Half human, half machine. They start out as humans, until computers, camera tricks, filters, and silicone suck out their souls and turn them into size zero Frankensteins.

But that’s the price of living in a culture of consumerism, where we spend every waking minute surrounded by advertisements and product placement. Everyone’s got something to sell, and very few of them are selling anything you need. So, to compensate, the peddlers pull out their shotguns and blow giant holes in your psyche. Then they convince you that they’ve got the perfect thing to plug the gaps. They try to create a void in your conscience, so they can start pouring their poison into it. As far as this strategy goes, constructing an unachievable, inhuman, digitized idea of beauty is the ultimate scam. And it’s paid dividends.

Being rail thin, without blemish, perfectly proportioned and exactly symmetrical — these are superfluous, unattainable and unrealistic goals. But all the media has to do is inject into your head the image of a rail thin, blemish-less, perfectly proportioned, exactly symmetrical (and totally hallucinatory) woman. The allure of this fantasy human is enough to intoxicate and captivate a lot of people. They’ll spend the rest of their lives chasing beauty like a heroin addict chases heaven. What they both want is real, but they’re looking in the wrong places, and eventually the pursuit will destroy them.

When I think of all of this, I’m filled with a certain fear. You’re just a baby right now, but that will change sooner than I’d like it to. Lord, you’re beautiful. I’m telling you: you’re gorgeous. I have you lying here beside me, asleep, as I write this. You have this glow and this grace; it’s impossible to look at you and not smile. Impossible, I guarantee it. And then I think about the predators in the fashion industry and the entertainment industry. And I think about how they’ll try to tell you that you’re not good enough. They’ll try to convince you that you need a thousand pounds of makeup and designer clothing to really look appealing. They’ll try to sell you on the lie that beauty is a competition; that you ought to be constantly measuring your appearance against strangers.

You are a masterpiece, a treasure, a work of art, and they’ll try to persuade you to see yourself as a rough sketch; one that needs to be “edited” and “improved.”

But you’re an angel, daughter, and they are godforsaken liars.

Oh, believe me, so many of us have bought into their deception. Men and women alike, even if we aren’t chasing Hollywood beauty, we still dress ourselves up in some way. We present a façade, in hopes of appealing to the mass collective. It’s gotten worse now with the internet, social media, Reality TV. We feed that beast inside that wants us to care what strangers think of us. Of the entire population of the planet, only an infinitesimal percentage of them will ever be more than anonymous to us. Only the tiniest fraction will ever give us more than a passing glance, but we want even the strangers to feel something about us when they look our way. Feel what? Envy. Admiration. Inferiority. A combination of all three. We certainly can’t allow them to carry on their day feeling better, or more attractive, or smarter, or more successful.

But we gain nothing from living this way. We do everything we can to impress the unknown faces in the crowd, and where does it take us? Those faces are likely immersed in their own self absorbed psychological vacuums, and whatever impression we make on them will evaporate as soon as we leave their line of sight.

This is what’s become of so many of us.

I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. I’ll do whatever it takes to shield you from the parasites who profit from this madness. Whatever it takes. I’ll set the TV on fire if I have to. I’ll probably dance around it while it burns. I’ve always had a TV, but I’m not sure that it’s ever brought anything but lies and false hopes into my living room. Well, that and football. So it isn’t all bad.

I’ll literally put blinders on you when we go to the grocery store so you can’t see the magazines in the checkout aisle.

I’ll move us all into a shack in the wilderness, so that this horrific culture, and the zombies who inhabit it, can’t touch you. I’d rather leave our “civilized” society behind than allow it to take your purity and innocence, and replace it with an eating disorder and a shopping addiction.

Or maybe these drastic measures aren’t necessary. Maybe Mom and I can just hold you close and love you, and maybe that will be enough. And when Dad tells you that you’re beautiful, maybe you’ll always believe him. Maybe it will be enough to make you into the sort of girl who laughs at the idea of spending thousands of dollars to keep up with “fashion trends.” Maybe it will be enough to stop you from ever wanting something as insane as cosmetic surgery. Maybe it will be enough to keep you from starving yourself, like the “supermodels” in the magazines.

I hope so. I pray for this. Remember, Mom and Dad are two of the VERY few people on Earth who will tell you the truth about yourself. The truth that, from your first moments in this world, you’ve been like a vision, full of beauty and light. You don’t need to be “photoshopped,” and you never will. You don’t need a “touch-up” or a “correction.” You were formed by God and given to us as a gift from Paradise. You don’t need to add fad diets, expensive shoes and forty layers of makeup to that. That’s the truth, but few will tell it. You will meet a lot of people, and many of them will want something from you. So they’ll attack your self image, make you vulnerable, and then try to take it.

That’s the game.

Never play it.

I’ll protect you from these forces for as long as I can, but that won’t last forever.

I hope you never need to read this letter. I hope all of these realizations come as second nature to you. But, if ever the time comes when you need a reminder: here it is. Whether it’s 17 years from now, or 25, or 40, or when your Mom and Dad are dead and gone. Here it is. You’re beautiful.

Love,

Dad