![pinta santa maria mayflower pinta santa maria mayflower](https://clipground.com/images/nina-pinta-santa-maria-clipart-12.jpg)
![pinta santa maria mayflower pinta santa maria mayflower](https://www.toemen.nl/images/producten/1_artesania-latina-mayflower-1620-houten-scheepsmodel-1:64.jpg)
The Santa was a small carrack, or "Nao" around 70 feet, and was used as the flagship for the expedition. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa. His ships were the Pinta, Nina, and Santa Maria.The Santa María was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. He failed, however, when he discovered that the Americas got in the way of that route. He proposed, properly, that one might sail around the world. The Plymouth colony was begun in 1621 by these Pilgrims.Ĭolumbus, 129 years earlier, had sailed in search of a better trade route to the orient. (The church established by Henry the Eighth as the official Church of England (Angle-land) when he broke ties with the pope and started his own church). The Mayflower was the ship that brought the Puritans (pilgrims) to the new world where they could escape the tyranny of the King of England (James 1) and the Anglican Church. Oh, and the boats are important, so here you go. Most importantly, may you spend a few minutes looking around to see them. May you be surprised by how many blessings you find yourselves surrounded by. Maybe gratitude is just the fruit of humility. When no one owes you anything, or you don't see yourself as a "good person" who "deserves better", then everything is more than you could have asked for. I think, at its most basic level, being grateful means you don't feel entitled to anything. It's focusing on whatever beautiful thing you had, rather than on the pain of losing it. It's seeing what you have instead of what you don't have, and it's seeing how far you have come, and not how far you have left to go. I think maybe gratitude is just seeing what you are instead of what you aren't. How do you force gratitude if you don't really "feel it"? I don't know. And may those of us who "have" this holiday season, be looking to help others have a little too. It is humbling for me to see, and I hope a reminder for those of us who don't have to dig quite as deep to find things to show gratitude for, to show it all the more.
![pinta santa maria mayflower pinta santa maria mayflower](https://clipground.com/images/nina-pinta-santa-maria-clipart-18.jpg)
Some of the most grateful people I know cry all the time, but I haven't seen a more beautiful thing than when someone with every reason to be bitter chooses to give thanks. Grateful people aren't necessarily happy. It's like they know that a choice has been set before them, and they choose gratitude. The thing is, that they inspire me because even those people in my life living in utter despair find things to be grateful for. They struggle with health issues, with brokenness, and they live with a hole in their heart etched from unspeakable loss. So many people don't find it quite so easy to give thanks. I have had loss, but I have not had the kind of earth shattering, life altering loss that crushes me under the weight of it. I have danced in the kitchen with my husband, to a soundtrack in my own mind, while waiting for the bacon and eggs to cook.
![pinta santa maria mayflower pinta santa maria mayflower](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/segelschiffmodell-handgemachte-santa-maria-57415483.jpg)
I have woken to the pitter patter of little feet running down the hall, and have fallen asleep with the warmth of sweet baby breath on my cheek. I have a wonderful family, job, friends, and good health. The sentiment though, I think we need to pause and give thanks more often, so I am all about it. I also know that a holiday where the main objective is to give thanks is all good. And quite frankly, it doesn't matter that much to me. I rarely think of the Mayflower on Thanksgiving, in fact, if I am going to be honest I can never remember if the Mayflower goes with Thanksgiving, or if it was the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Thanksgiving I only like because I am a traditionalist. I am beyond excited, let's just get that out in the open right now. So, Thanksgiving is Thursday, and Christmas is just around the corner.