I Was There With the Pilgrims

This post is one of the Thanksgiving stories I wrote with my children at school. Some notes are at the conclusion.

I was there with the Pilgrims: A Diary of Crossing the Atlantic

My name is Wendell. I was born and raised in Holland. But I am English, through and through. I know that sounds strange since I have never actually been to England. Tomorrow, September 6, I set out on the great adventure of my life. My father, mother, sister Felicity, brother Osbourne, and I head for the new world. My Dutch friend Petra, who is also 9, gave me this diary as a goodbye gift.

September 4.
Today I saw Petra for the last time this side of heaven. For I know in my heart I will never return. Father says to trust God to bring us safely to our new home, but many things can happen out at sea.

September 10.
After our ship, the Speedwell, began to leak, we lost much time returning. Some of my friends were fearful of going on with only one ship and stayed in England. I have still never set foot on English soil, but in a way, it is still my home. Do you understand?

September 23.
I feel safer on the Mayflower, but what if it should begin to leak? The shipmaster says we are many days from any land. I do not know how to swim.

October 7.
The storm is finally over. It was worse than my worst nightmare. I almost saw a man drown! My father helped draw him up out of the sea. I wondered if God had planned for that rope to be hanging overboard. It seemed like a miracle.

October 12.
I used to always love the sea when we were in Holland. But now I am sick of it. It is the only thing I can see, hear, or smell in any direction. I can even taste it in the air.

October 21.
Mother told me one of the women had a baby last night. It seems strange that the baby has never set foot on either Holland, England, or America. Its feet will first touch the wooden planks of the Mayflower.

October 25.
Father says another miracle has happened. No one knows why a giant iron jack was even on the ship, but without it, the main beam supporting the deck would have collapsed, causing the Mayflower to sink. I wonder if God knew the beam would crack. Does He know what will happen next? I wish I knew.

November 1.
Today is All Saints Day. Mother read to us from the Bible about Jonah being swallowed by a great fish, and how he was saved. She said this should give us faith that God would bring us across the sea safely because He has a great work for us in America. I don’t know how she found this out, but my heart tells me it is true. God has already brought us through danger as great as Jonah’s.

November 11.
I began to believe I would never see land again. But I was wrong. The crew dropped our anchor near a place called Cape Cod, and it is so beautiful. We had planned to settle near the Jamestown colony that was begun 14 years ago, but the winter ocean currents brought us to this area the Indians call Massachusetts. We cannot move to the land until houses are built, and that will be almost Christmas. So the Mayflower will have to be home for a while longer. But I was allowed to row with my father and other men to the shore, and my feet have touched the sandy soil of my new home—America. And now my heart tells me that nothing will ever be the same again.

Many events in this story are based on actual occurrences referred to in Governor William Bradford's journal. As a school writing activity, I found the style of a journal to be very useful. It combines both fact and imagination in first person narrative. It focuses on sequence, topic sentences, and supporting details. More than anything else, it personalized history for the students. Let me know if you want more of my stories on-line.

One more time: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!