My whole life I grew up hearing stories about the amazing courage and faith of the Pilgrims. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that my family discovered that we are related to 14 of those dear souls. This last week a dream came true when I was with the Freeman Family and we stopped in Plymouth on our way from the Cape to Boston. I had so many butterflies in my stomach. I felt so happy and grateful inside for these people who sacrificed so much for the freedom of religious thought and happiness of my family. It was so exciting to walk the streets they walked. It was a full circle, because as a violin student in Holland I got to hear my teacher perform in concerts in the Leiden Church where they lived and worshiped as refugees in Holland until they left to America. We loved touring a replica of the Mayflower (I can't believe they were able to fit 120 people on that tiny vessel). We also enjoyed visiting the reconstruction of the Plimoth Plantation colony and meeting a few of my ancestors, like Alice Bradford and Miles Standish. I hope that my children will have extra courage when they face challenges, knowing the stories of these amazing souls.
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| The Masonflower |
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The significance of Plimouth Rock is hotly disputed,
but it makes for interesting folklore nonetheless:
http://www.history.com/news/the-real-story-behind-plymouth-rock |
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| First fort and meeting house. |
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| with Alice Bradford...can you see the family resemblance :) |
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| Miles Standish...not so much! Still related though :) |
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| Visiting the graves of my ancestors. |
Joanna, I was so thrilled to see these pictures...it gave me goosebumps too and such feelings of gratitude for these absolutely amazing men and women of the hour who were true to their faith and sacrificed so much to be the seedbed of our nation. And of course, we try not to be too proud of our heritage. Loved your humorous comments!
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