Hail Bravehearts!
Look to the great planet and the adventure that it offers you, for this great new day. Look to the wild and the remote places, the vast unknown land, the pristine sparkling lakes, the forest and the glade. Look to the tumbling rivers, the majestic water falls, the open prairie and the grand mountain. This great land, is the land of plenty. Test your skills and entice your courage, quell your fears and boldly stride onto that path. The land provides an adventure for you and you, oh brave and daring one, can walk a route that made this country great. A route of homesteaders, of pioneers, of fur traders, merchants, courier de bois, negotiators, ministry and leaders. A group of brave hearts. The uncommon, common man. For in this time of colonization
, the fabulous almighty man, decreed the settling of a land of ice and snow and the common man was chosen to attempt this feat of danger and peril.
The commoner, the common man, who takes his direction from his great lord and master. The common man, a mere mortal, a human cast in clay and dust, who obeys the decree of the king. Who is this common man, so roughly hewn that he is merely a servant to the demands of greater minds and greater powers? So common, so plain, so uneducated, so lowly. The common mind, from the birth of poor genetics, cast to fulfill great tasks of high achievement and immense dignity and power for the mighty.
Hail to you, for who you are, soldiers and skilled craftsmen, your duty is your worth and your lords will must be done.
The land was offered and the spring sunshine helped to ease the anxiety of the unknown. Trust the leadership and their knowledge, their superiority, their greater strength and education. Trust that the Lord will shine his light upon you and will save your mortal souls.
So it was, in the spring of 1604, that a site was chosen for a colony in the brave new world. Brave souls, worthy of such an immense attempt. Skilled craftsmen and intellectuals, seeking peace and prosperity in a land of harsh winters and short growing season.
Basking in the sunshine of the clear, blue Atlantic was small St. Croix Island. The fishing was good, the dwellings were erected, the security of the settlement was established and hope for the future of a successful colony stirred in their hearts and their minds. Praises! Praises to their lord and to the Lord most high. Praises to the negotiation and to the success of this challenge. Praises to their accomplishments, to the peace of their living. Praises! Praises!
Praises to the foresight of their leaders, to choosing this safe place, to knowledge and security, to peace among us. Hail great minds and great leadership. We are successful in the spring, the summer is warm and fills our lives with hope, we are successful in the autumn, while supplies still last, but then? The long, harsh winter bears down upon us, longer this year and in the spring of 1605 the snow is still piled high and spirits fall as the doomed colonialists count the numbers of those who perished. Thirty five strong, robust people, die of scurvy this past winter and leave the rest with too much work and too much sorrow.
Brave adventurers, this was not the best place, we move now, to a new plot of land, a new attempt at survival, a new beginning for us. Fear not! We are your leaders, you will survive.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
June 2, 2015