Happy Thanksgiving to our friends across the pond… a time for family reflection
In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers. The passengers were an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and also included other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After surviving the perilous 66 day crossing and then a further one month journey to Massachusetts Bay the “pilgrims” then set work to establish their colony in Plymouth. Throughout their first winter they remained on board and due to the conditions only half survived.
In March 1621 the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to harvest corn, extract sap and develop skills to reap from the land and sea around them.
In the face of adversity a close alliance was developed and in 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
This is a true demonstration of working together through adversity to achieve a common goal for the future.
Thanksgiving has fallen in the same week as Family Dispute Resolution Week here in the UK which is happening 23-27 November 2015. Fisher Jones Greenwood Solicitors fully endorse the importance of alternative dispute resolution (as opposed to court proceedings) to try and help families deal with any disputes as amicably as possible and where children are concerned assisting parents in putting their children’s needs first during divorce/separation.
With our large family team with specialists in all areas of the law and in mediation we are here to advise, support and guide you through what can be a traumatic time your family.