Daily Gratitude Year 14-Day 315: Today, I am grateful for our veterans and the Mayflower Compact (11/11/1620).
*Historical date note at the bottom of this post.
(Long post warning)
From 1620 to 1776, the land we now call home consisted of colonies under British rule. To think that the Mayflower passengers identified themselves as Saints and Strangers shows that there was diversity from the very start. Hardship bonded them together. Most scholars agree that the Mayflower Compact was an impressive document that influenced the writers of the Constitution of the United States of America. The religious separatists and everyone else came together to establish a framework for living differently, but together in community, under God, and with the opportunity before them.
The Mayflower Compact was signed 406 years ago today at Cape Cod, on November 11, 1620, by forty-one men who, as subjects of King James, combined themselves into a "civill body politick" and promised due obedience to its just and equal laws for the general good of the colony. The Mayflower Compact was not a constitution. Its framework was borrowed from a Puritan church covenant and adapted to a civil situation.
The Pilgrim and Stranger founders were not perfect, but the Compact was based on a Puritan covenant, with its fundamental principles of self-government and common consent. Historians concur that it was an important step in the evolution of democratic government in America. What many do not know is that a covenant includes God as a party to the agreement. If you read the Mayflower Compact, God is included.
If you have followed "Daily Gratitude" for very long, you know my red, white, and blue runs through my veins. I used to lament not having deeper roots in this country. Genealogy research has given me new insight and knowledge. Edward Fuller is my 11th great-grandfather. He signed that Compact. My 11th great-grandmother, Mrs. Edward Fuller, and their son, my 10th great-grandfather John, were there that day, too. He was only twelve. John married Jane Lothrop, and their line married into the Heath, Crippen, Calkins, and St. John families. These names are rich in Revolutionary War history.
Members of that same family tree were Pearl Harbor survivors (Great-Uncle Lloyd, Aunt Emma, and two other St. John cousins). Some were warriors, and others didn't mean to be. My grandmother never talked about her brother's experiences in the war, but my cousin Angie has a piece of jewelry from Grandma Opal Maxine that was often given to sweethearts (or, we believe in this case, little sisters) during the war. I am so grateful she has it and treasures it.
Dad served in the Army between wars. Uncle Mel was in Japan during the Korean War. My sister, April, served in the Air Force at Kadena, Okinawa, Japan, when she died from an undiagnosed heart defect. Dad had several uncles who did not survive WWI. They were lost to illness, not in battle. The Swedish and German immigrants on that side of the family proudly served the country they chose and came to love. They brought family recipes, faith, traditions, and even superstitions, but they gratefully chose a new country, a new language, and a new place to call home. They proudly served in the Armed Forces, at their churches, and in their communities.
Dad never failed to help a veteran if he had the chance or saw one in need. Honestly, our entire rural community embraced our veterans and their families. I do not think I understood how much until I heard some of the stories as an adult. Random acts of kindness, not just today, but every day.
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." — John 15:13
Today, I am grateful for our veterans and the Mayflower Compact (11/11/1620).
*Date Note: (November 11, 1620, is the traditional date associated with the signing of the Mayflower Compact. However, the date was recorded using the Julian calendar. The corresponding Gregorian date was November 21, 1620. November 11th is the traditional anniversary.)
