THE LEGEND OF THE FIVE KERNELS OF CORN
Thanksgiving is really my favorite holiday. It’s a time when our families gather around a great meal and take time out of our busy lives to be thankful! I love the American roots of this special holiday. I love the God-centered reason we celebrate it. And by it’s very name Thanksgiving is a corporate time of acknowledging God as the giver of all things… and a time set aside to thank Him for it! Have you every heard of the story THE 5 KERNELS OF CORN? This story is intertwined into our Thanksgiving and is a way we count our blessings…
Today is HOME STYLE SATURDAY! I love this weekly series! I’m pulling out one of my most popular archived post for Thanksgiving. If you spend time around your Thanksgiving table counting your blessing you will love this simple way to get everyone to be thankful!
The tradition in our home is to place 5 kernels of corn at everyone’s place at the table and recount the story that has been passed down for generations. These 5 little kernels have played a big part in our Thanksgiving story here at StoneGable!
The story goes…
On Nov. 11, 1620 the Mayflower landed on the Northern tip of Cape Cod bringing a group of people searching for religious freedom. We call them the Pilgrims.
It was not easy to settle in a new place… a new world. It was very hard and the Pilgrims suffered greatly.
Winter set in and it was cold and food was in short supply.
It is said that during the cold and harsh winter of 1621, that sometimes only 5 kernels of corn were rationed out to eat.
No matter how small something is… if we see it as a blessing, it’s huge!
We really can’t say for sure if this story is true or not, but what a reminder to count our blessings… in all things great and small!
Taking turns, we go around the table and tell everyone 5 things we are thankful for.
We usually have some very loud laughs and some sentimental tears as well. But most of all we have a whole lot of head’s nodding in blessing agreement as the warm presence of God fills us and the room!
God desires us to be a thankful people…
GIVE THANKS IN ALL THINGS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD, IN CHRIST JESUS 1 Thessalonians 5:18
What God is saying to us in this verse is to acknowledge His grace given to you and look at every separate part of your circumstance and find His hand of goodness, kindness, fellowship, love, help, comfort, strength, favor etc. in all of it and let Him know that you see Him working in your life with grateful praise for those of us who are in a relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
All things come from God’s benevolent hand. Great and small. If we look for the blessing of God we can and will find them, even in the worst of circumstances! Yes, God is always with us and He blesses us. Sometimes we just need to look for the blessing!
So, this Thanksgiving I hope you and the those around your table will find a way to give thanks to our loving, grace-giving God.
Do you have a Thanksgiving family tradition that gives thanks to our Father? Please share!
You might like to see the whole Thanksgiving table HERE.
And please visit the other HOME STYLE SATURDAY bloggers!
Cedar Hill Farmhouse | How to Spot Antiques for Cheap
Designthusiasm | Simplifying a Kitchen Renovation
Maison de Pax | A Thankful Tree
Savvy Southern Style | Being Thankful
Shabbyfufu | Family Room Reveal
So Much Better With Age | Carrot Pie for Thanksgiving
Stone Gable | A Thanksgiving Story
You might like to follow me on Pinterest and see all the great things I’m finding to pin HERE.
Loved this posted. What a great reminder of all we have to be grateful for.
I agree?✝️
Such a beautiful tradition. You will surely have another blessing this year with your new little grandson. What a blessing!!!
My husband and I have dealt with some pretty major disasters with health, job and finances this year. I know God is using this time so that we will learn to trust Him more. For that I am so thankful. I’m amazed at how blessed I feel when I just trust Him. God is so good.
We have each family member tell one thing for which wthey are grateful. I will also include a “I’m grateful for you” placecard with each family mber’s name. These are traditions that can be passed from generation to generation. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Yvonne!
Not only does it help us to name our own blessings, but it is a true joy to hear how God has blessed the lives of others. What a special tradition!
Hi Jean, That’s exactly right!
This is a lovely story and a beautiful tradition thanks for sharing.
I just love this tradition, Yvonne, and if you don’t mind, will introduce it at our next Thanksgiving which is in October.
On a humorous note, can I add one thing I’m thankful for? I always sympathize with you American having Thanksgiving in November! It must be rather tiring having a huge turkey dinner consecutive months!! Phew!! We Canadians have ours in October so we have a month’s “break” before planning our Christmas dinner. So with my one kernel in hand, I say: “I’m grateful for our Canadian October Thanksgiving”! lol! 🙂
I would love to have Thanksgiving in October!
Sorry for the typo – American should be “American”!
Gee, what’s wrong with me this morning!! I didn’t hit the S hard enough! American should be “Americans”!!
Loved it.
I had never heard this story before. It is lovely. I start each day writing of the five things that I am grateful for so each of my days starts with abundance no matter how bleak things may feel. There are no coincidences so this shows the importance of five!
Thanksgiving is such a wonderful and grateful holiday. We always share what we are thankful for around the table and this year we should add 5 kernels of corn. Such a great tradition.
Yvonne, this is such a great tradition that your family does. Love this idea!
Thank you, Yvonne, for the reminder. We should always look at a half full glass instead of half empty. Traditions are so important, They are the links that bind one generation to another. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thank you for sharing this lovely tradition.
The Lord is so good to us every day. And Thanksgiving is a special time to thank Him for our many blessings . Love your orange and white dishes !
I love your tradition Yvonne. We do soemthing similar, but I like this better. I’m going to make this our new “expanded” thankful tradition. Thank you for sharing this, and always sharing your heart. Xo Lidy
Wonderful tradition. Thanks for sharing it.
Always thankful for this journey !!! Thanks for sharing yours….
I am thankful you shared your family tradition as well as the story behind it which makes it so meaningful as we approach Thanksgiving Day 2016. I so appreciate the fantastic photography showcasing your dinnerware and the “kernels” of Indian corn at each place setting. Just lovely Yvonne.
Traditions are so important for keeping the family spirit alive and well.
Hard to imagine having so little to eat…it causes me to pause and thank God for all of His bounty year round.
Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday! We can focus on blessings and how to give to others. I go into fall withdrawal when the autumn decorations gets put away. I really like the five kernels of corn story to add to my holiday tradition. Great post!
Never heard of this…very sweet
Will be bringing into our Thankful month
What a wonderful story of the 5 kernals. Such a great way to say what we are thankful for and an awesome family tradition to start. I will definitely pass it on to my daughter and her family.
Beautifully shared. I am a farmer, and I love the Fall, the time of harvest, and the quieting of the earth as she prepares for Winter. May God bless you today, for sharing your heart with us. May we all reap joy, peace, and the Spirit of the Lord as we go about our days.