There’s a lot for people to worry about these days. People are burned out and stressed out. And frankly, the holidays often make people feel worse instead of better. Instead of feeling thankful at Thanksgiving, many people just end up exhausted and annoyed, if not downright angry. In fact, some are struggling with a deeper problem – a loss of a sense of meaning. Things in life have gone badly. The series of unfortunate events is long and none of it makes any sense. We mentally review our problems and wonder, “Why do I bother? Why am I even HERE?”
If ever there was a man with the right to ask “Why me?”, it was a native Patuxet man in the 17th century. His life story might provide some needed perspective.
Squanto was born in a Patuxet village somewhere in the vicinity of present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1604 (sixteen years before the Pilgrims arrived), Captain George Weymouth, who was exploring the New England coastline, captured him and five members of his tribe and took them back with him to England. He taught Squanto English and trained him as an interpreter. It took ten years for Squanto to finally make his way by ship back to New England, which he did in 1614 by accompanying an expedition led by one Captain John Smith. He was finally making his way back to his people at Patuxet, when he was kidnapped AGAIN. This time Squanto was kidnapped by Thomas Hunt, one of John Smith’s lieutenants, who transported him back across the Atlantic to Spain. There, Hunt tried to sell him into slavery. Some local friars discovered what Hunt was attempting and rescued him. Squanto stayed with the friars for some time where he learned about their Christian faith. He eventually persuaded the friars to let him make one more attempt at the dangerous journey home to New England.
In 1619, Squanto finally returned to New England, once again aboard a ship captained by Captain John Smith. He had been gone 14 years and had been kidnapped twice. I can only imagine how excited he was as he approached his home, hoping to see his family again. He might have had a wife and children – we don’t know. However, when at last he arrived back to his village, he discovered that during his absence, his entire tribe, as well as the majority of the coastal New England tribes, had been wiped out by a plague. (It might have been smallpox but it could have been measles). All of his family – in fact — all of his tribe were dead.
That is how it came to be that in the spring of 1620, a lone Patuxet man walked into a camp of Europeans. He was completely comfortable among them since he’d lived in England, and he was a believer in the same Christian God as the settlers. He found a group of people in a sorry state, greeted them in fluent English, and offered his assistance. They needed it desperately. The 102 passengers and 30 crew members of The Mayflower had been blown off course by storms so it wasn’t until December 17th that they dropped anchor in a harbor which they later named Plymouth Harbor. Arriving just as winter set in meant that they were unable to build adequate shelter, and 45 of them died during that first winter (a death rate of 44%). By spring, there were only 57 of the original Pilgrims still alive, all of them malnourished and weak. Without his help, the survivors would not have lasted another winter. In addition to teaching them how to farm in the New World, Squanto became the translator and guide to the Pilgrims on diplomatic missions to the Wampanoag Indians who threatened the security of the settlement. Later, when he was captured by the Wampanoag, Myles Standish led a ten-man team from Plymouth to rescue the native man who was by then one of the most important members of their community. He was found alive and welcomed back by the Pilgrims at Plymouth, his adopted tribe, where he continued his vital role to the colony.
In 1622, on his way back from a meeting to repair damaged relations between the Wampanoag and Pilgrims, Squanto fell ill. Governor William Bradford recorded the details. Squanto asked the Governor to pray for him and he bequeathed some of his possessions as mementos to various friends. Bradford described the death of his friend as, “a great loss.” Thanks in large part to Squanto’s diplomatic efforts, peace between the Wampanoag and Pilgrims lasted for fifty years. (You can read the sad story of the misunderstandings that lead to war between the native tribes and the settlers in Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War – Wikipedia, which only serves to emphasize what would likely have happened 50 years earlier, without the intervention of Squanto.)
That is a life story you just can’t make up. Squanto had been kidnapped twice, nearly sold into slavery, taken prisoner by another native tribe, uprooted from his homeland, and lost his family and his culture. But without his uniquely difficult life, the history of the Pilgrim fathers and the history of our country would have been completely different. It’s a reminder that even the tragic events of life can put you in the right place, at the right time, for a great purpose. If this is a difficult Thanksgiving for you, hang in there. You are here for a purpose. Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxis
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
