“The Mayflower sails from Holland”
Hanging within my home is this beautiful painting, Not many people would realize the value of it. My husband purchased it while serving in Holland. It is done in oils and shows the Begijnhof Chapel in Leiden from which the pilgrims left in July 1820, under the direction of William Bradford. They wanted the freedom to worship as they pleased. The voyage took sixty-six days with miracle after miracle happening until they arrived off the coast of Cape Cod. This year marks the 400th celebration of the Pilgrims and the Plymouth Plantation from which came Thanksgiving. Of the 102 passengers on board the Mayflower, fifty survived the first winter. On this Thanksgiving, let us all be grateful for these brave souls and appreciate our ancestral fathers who laid the foundation for the freedoms we enjoy today. We have often had the children share the story of the First Thanksgiving. Several times, we have had a small pouch of corn by each place setting to remember the starving conditions. I am grateful for my husband, the father of my children, who valued this painting. Don’t miss sharing with your families the story of the Pilgrims.
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