Grateful
Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving - one of our most cherished American holidays. It is a day where Americans pause from our insanely over-scheduled and information overloaded lives, to spend time with loved ones, share a hearty meal, and give thanks for the blessings of the year, and beyond.
Each Thanksgiving I try to reflect upon what this 400-year-old holiday means, which always brings me back to the Pilgrims of 1620. This group of about 100 Englishmen spent over 8 weeks on a ship, crossing the Atlantic Ocean during the height of storm season, in rather deplorable conditions (at least by today’s standards). The Mayflower was no cruise ship! It was a merchant ship that typically carried goods, not people, so you can imagine how uncomfortable the cross-Atlantic voyage probably was. There was much sickness and turmoil on that journey, and only about half of the Pilgrims survived and reached what is now the east coast of the United States, in the Cape Cod area. The Pilgrims were fleeing persecution. Religious persecution. They felt it was worth it to risk their lives for freedom.
The first “Thanksgiving” took place in 1621, when the Pilgrims celebrated surviving their first winter in the “New World”. Well, not everyone survived. It’s reported that of the 19 women, only 5 survived that first winter. The Pilgrims’ very first Thanksgiving celebration was shared with some of the Native Americans who were instrumental in helping the Pilgrims survive by teaching them how to successfully use the land to avoid poisonous plants, grow crops, fish the rivers and so on. So, that original Thanksgiving was a celebration of not just freedom, but of friendship, and survival.
Would the Pilgrims have survived if those Native Americans had not helped them? We will never know the answer to that question. But, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the unification of those two extremely different cultures helped those Pilgrims who did survive have an easier time than they would have had they not united during that time of great hardship and strife.
This brings to mind my favorite quote by the wisest man I will ever know, my extraordinary father, Robert Flower… “Always consider the use of adversity.” Out of the crisis of adjusting to life and survival in a new world with strange plants, unknown wildlife, unique fruits and vegetables, and natives that neither looked like them or acted like them, the Pilgrims were able to ultimately forge a relationship that helped them not only survive but thrive over time.
Those courageous English settlers with their determination, resilience and lust for freedom were in a sense the precursor to our “founding fathers” of the late 1700’s. It was likely many of the Pilgrims’ descendants who would eventually form our nation. It is said that several US presidents could trace their lineage back to the Pilgrims. There is very much to be said of people who yearn so deeply for freedom that they are willing to cast aside the comforts of their native land and travel to an unknown place, while having to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles along the way.
Many of us today cannot fathom their sacrifices, their hardships, their courage - for our lives are so different than theirs. Life is so much easier for us now, as we can get our food delivered to our doorsteps when we’re hungry, have an Uber pick us up and shuttle us around at a moment’s notice, have a virtual doctor visit without leaving our bedroom, and hop a flight and in just a few hours be visiting family who live across the pond. It seems proper that we should spend at least one day each year giving thanks and praise for what we have.
For me… without question, I am grateful for many things.
Looking at the big picture, I am thankful for the election we had 12 months ago, because almost 80 million Americans got off the couch, got their friends and family off the couch, and went and voted for freedom! I’m grateful that many of those millions of voters also delivered both houses of Congress to our new President, because they believe he will carry out our agenda of taking back our country from the radicals that have been destroying it for years. Make no mistake folks, we didn’t vote for Republicans, we voted against tyranny, and we gave a mandate to Republicans… you work for us, do our bidding, or we’ll cut you off and replace you next year! I’m grateful because despite all of the negativity and doubt about the integrity of our elections, the power of the ballot box is still mightier than the bullet, as exemplified by every single swing state in this nation going for Trump. I’m grateful because even though we lost miserably here in New York state (with all the pathetic members of our NYS Legislature getting re-elected for yet another 2 years), New Yorkers saw what happened nationwide and are telling me that they are encouraged and now want to replicate that here in New York.
On a personal level, I’m grateful for the Brownstone Institute where I have been a Fellow for the past couple of years. The support I receive from Brownstone is fantastic, on all levels… whether it is with intellectual comradery, or with my writings that Brownstone publishes, or with the bi-annual private retreats for Fellows and scholars, or with the stipend they provide me - I could not do what I do without Brownstone.
Last, but certainly not least, I’m grateful for each and every one of you, my readers, my subscribers, my supporters, my family and my friends. You support me on so many levels - mentally (with your terrific emails, notes, comments and posts of encouragement), spiritually (so many of you wrote me endearing cards, letters and emails after I lost my beloved father last summer), monetarily (your donations that you give through my website, your paid subscriptions to my Substack, the checks you drop in the mail, all make my crucial work possible to continue).
I am truly grateful for all that you do. May we continue, together, as we begin to wind down 2025 and prepare to welcome in a new year ahead!
Don’t forget #GivingTuesday
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is Giving Tuesday, a day when people will traditionally give to their favorite organizations. It’s a terrific way to feel like you are giving back to someone or something that inspires or touches you in some way. I hope you will feel moved to support us…
If you’d like to support my work directly, you can do so by donating through my website HERE.
If you want to support our work to #TakeBackNY in next year’s elections, you can sign up here or donate HERE.
If you’d like to support Brownstone Institute where I am a proud Fellow, you can do that HERE.
Don’t Forget to follow me…
If you enjoyed this article, you can see more each week if you subscribe to my weekly Substack HERE. There are both free and paid subscriptions available!
Follow me on X @Attorney_Cox and on Instagram @allthingslawyer
Check out my homepage for full legal disclaimer… My posts are not legal advice, are not subject to attorney/client privilege, do not create an attorney/client relationship, and so on…
Yes, thank you for fighting for your fellow Americans!
Thankful for you, Bobbi, and your commitment to doing right.