Lord,
Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to share a meal, to be grateful and to deepen relationships with people who are different from ourselves.
Indigenous people have taught us that when the Three Sisters are planted together (corn, beans and squash), that these plants work together to help one another thrive. Corn provides a tall stalk for the beans and squash to climb. Beans fertilize the soil. The squash helps to stabilize the tall corn stalks. The plants’ interdependency is their strength.
The Wampanoag helped the pilgrims by showing them how to grow these and other crops on this land, which helped them survive.
As Dennis Zotigh, a Kiowa/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo/Isante Dakota Indian, and descendent of Sitting Bear and No Retreat, said, “To the original people of this continent, each day is a day of Thanksgiving to the Creator.”
Holy Spirit, help us to be grateful each day and to learn from the Example of the Three Sisters. Help us see all the ways that interdependence with people from from cultures makes us stronger. May we know in our hearts that we are stronger together.
Amen
