November 14, 2001

Dear Editor;
This Thanksgiving I would like to ask if humanit is read to look into the light of what has sha!ed us, and
walk beond the shadow that has !lagued us"
To me, long ago in #lmouth, $assasoit, great sa%hem of the &am!anoag Indians and 'ohn (arver and
&illiam )radford, ins!ired #ilgrim governors, !lanted a seed of unit, of famil, that has et to bear the fruit
of understanding in the hearts of humanit"
*trangers on the surfa%e, the elders and leaders s!oke a shared language of !ea%e and understanding"
The bridged a %hasm of differen%es to walk in alignment with the vision that drove them, and %reated an
agreement of !ea%e that was to bind them and their !eo!le together for four de%ades"
The $aflower (om!a%t, drafted in the hold of the $aflower, was first %alled the $aflower (ombination"
It %ombined together the dis!arate grou!s of $aflower !assengers to !ledge allegian%e to the laws and
offi%es the would %reate to serve the %ommon good" This %on%e!t of %ombination %ontinued into the
!ea%e agreement with the &am!anoags, bringing together two worlds se!arated b %ustom and
!ers!e%tive"
+s a #ilgrim des%endant who has s!ent e,tensive time with man visionar Native +meri%an elders of our
land I have %ome to see a %ommon thread of a vision of truth, beaut and balan%e that !ervades the
highest as!irations of the human !otential"
*-uanto and &illiam )radford be%ame %lose friends in #lmouth, !ossibl living under the same that%hed
roof" +re we read to follow the e,am!le of $assasoit, *amoset, *-uanto, 'ohn (arver and &illiam
)radford, those first emissaries of !ea%e, and %ome together as famil and show humanit the e,tent of
the love that is %ontained in the human heart.
Did that shared fall feasting of /00 Indians and 100 #ilgrims of 1221 smboli3e the %elebration of the
harvest of the fruits that were to %ome in the heart of mankind hundreds of ears later.
&hat would %ome forth if toda we %ombined the vision of the tin band of $aflower #ilgrims, who %ame
to a new land to start a new nation based on freedom to %hoose a%%ording to individual %ons%ien%e,
guided b a for%e the %alled 4The 5and of 6od7, with the beliefs and wa of life of the !eo!le the
en%ountered.
This Thanksgiving %an we walk into our hearts and %ome together for one brief shining moment and be as
one, envisioning a future that is not onl !ossible, but is !robable, in fa%t, in m view, a given8 a future, in
our lifetime, that is %arried dee! within the heart of humanit and reali3es our greatest dreams of !ea%e,
balan%e and abundan%e. It is m sin%ere wish as a mother that we ea%h find a wa to embod these
great dreams in our dail living and bring to our %hildren and the world what we !romised them when we
be%ame +meri%a, the great model of freedom, b the !eo!le and for the !eo!le"
*in%erel,
(onnie )a,ter $arlow
9lwEagles:aol"%om
9or verifi%ation8 /;0 /4<=24><