Good morning brave hearts

The voyage is long and the spirit becomes weary. The choice to venture forth into the unknown was a difficult one. The hardship obvious. The stalwarts of the new regime were pensive. What lies beyond?
A small group of people cast out from the shore. These waters have been charted before. Ships have crossed the oceans for hundreds of years, the path is straight. Straight to land hundreds of kilometers away. A large land mass that can’t be missed. Straight across!
In the looming doom of their choice, they cast off. Adrift now, unto the seas.
The choice was a perilous decision wrought from conflicts of ideology which couldn’t be resolved. Freedom called in their minds. Freedom to practice an ideology of their choice. Freedom from the constant explanation, the constant rebuke, the constant struggle. To worship in their own way in a land of freedom without discrimination. Yes, there is such a land and the heavy load of the high seas is upon them.
102 people set forth on that day in two vessels. Only one survived the voyage, only 65 people survived the first winter.

http://biblescripture.net/Pilgrims.html

The good fortune of the pilgrims was to land in a continent of generous peoples. A peoples who generally accepted the tired outcasts. A peoples who allowed the landing of so few, who had starved and perished at sea, who’s numbers were cut in half, who arrived alone. Weary travellers in need of kindness.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-pilgrim-wampanoag-peace-treaty

The peoples of the new world made room for the new colonialists and participated in their survival. Oh fortunate travellers to encounter the compassionate, moral human, the peacemaker and the peacekeeper. A small group of weary adventurers, but strangers still.
Hail, almighty human, for the acts of kindness and caring. For only a few short years ago, your populations were devastated by disease from some of these same sorts of travellers. Weary and beleaguered they carried smallpox which spread amongst the natives and devastated their peoples. Death to many.
Still the courage to seek peaceful alliance runs strong in the mind and the will for a lasting peace encourages negotiation. Yes, there will be a negotiated peace. Yes, there will be survival and a colony in this new land.
Brave adventurers, whose toil and passions brought them to this end. New land, new peoples, new survival, new prosperity.
Hail to you, almighty human, for the great adventure of your lives. For dreams and for daring, you live forever!
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
October 25, 2013