The Five Kernels of Thanks

In elementary school, I learned the story that five kernels of corn were placed on the empty plates of the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving. A banquet did follow, but the kernels were there as a reminder of the daily ration of food the Pilgrims had before their first harvest. The kernels reminded the Pilgrims how far they had come and of their many blessings. The depth of that message I'm sure was lost on a nine-year-old kid, but I did remember the five kernels. Thus, I wanted to look deeper into this story of the five kernels of corn. What I found surprised me.

The ration of the five kernels was not prior to the first Thanksgiving in 1621 but during the winter of 1623 - after a miserable harvest, and the arrival of more settlers who had no provisions. Though this was the ration, it was not until 1820 that the tradition of placing five kernels on each plate began. The tradition began in conjunction with an observance of the Bi-Centennial of the Pilgrims' landing.

I found many other stories associated with the five kernels. One stated that when the children of the Pilgrims planted corn, they placed five kernels in little mounds of dirt they cupped together. They sang and old English song as they planted: "One for the bug--one for the crow--one to rot--and two to grow."

Another apparent legend has it that those five kernels on each plate spurred the Pilgrims to a liturgy of thanks: Each pilgrim would stand up and one by one pick up each kernel of corn and share five things they were thankful for on Thanksgiving.

Other traditions sprang from this notion. In one family, a special cup is passed around the table. Each person places a kernel in the cup and shares a thanksgiving. This continues until all the kernels have been placed in the cup and everyone has shared five things of thanks.

This tradition seems to have become more formalized. I discovered that each kernel has specific thanks associated with it:  The first kernel was thanks for the autumn beauty. The second kernel was to give thanks for loving one another. The third piece of corn was in thankfulness for their family. The fourth was in thanks for friendship. The fifth and final kernel was in gratitude for the freedom that they found in America.

Legends have a way of growing and morphing to fit certain situations. Though we are not sure about the exact traditions of the first Thanksgiving, we do know that they probably trace their roots to the thanksgivings of the psalmist millennia ago: "O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good, God's steadfast love endures forever!" (Ps 107:1)

Any tradition that encourages us to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives is a good one. I hope in these tough economic times, when hunger is on the increase in Michigan, and the gap between rich and poor keeps increasing, that we can encourage folks in our congregations to find our own five kernels to remind us both of our blessings and of our capacity to share generously with those in need.

A blessed Thanksgiving to all!

The office of the Michigan Conference United Church of Christ will close at noon today and remain closed through the end of the week.  We will check email and voice mail while we are away.  We will re-open with normal business hours Monday, November 26th.  

The staff of the Michigan Conference office sends our warm wishes to you and your families of a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with memories of old; sprinkled with the excitement of creating new and cherished moments that last for years to come.