Many areas of my life are a series of reruns, why should this column be any different? I know I’ve written this story before, but hopefully not just last year. If I cannot remember, perhaps you don’t either.

When the children were small, we attended the Stone Church in Vineyard Haven. The late minister, Alan Wood, passed out the following words one year. We read it at Thanksgiving dinner with the accompanying grains of corn for many years.

“In early New England, it was the custom to place five grains of corn at each place as a reminder of the first winter. The food supply of the Pilgrims was so low that only five grains of corn were rationed to each individual at a time. The Pilgrim fathers and mothers wanted their children to remember the sacrifice, suffering and hardship, which made possible the settlement of a free people in a free land.

“They did not want their descendants to forget that on the day in which their ration was reduced to five grains of corn, only seven healthy colonists remained to nurse the sick and nearly half of their number lay in the windswept graveyard on the hill.

“Thanksgiving Day is the expression of a deep gratitude for the rich productivity of the land, a memorial of the dangers and hardships through which we have safely passed, and a fitting recognition of all that God, in infinite goodness, has shared with us.

“As we gather on this Thanksgiving Day, let us remember those who passed a rich heritage to us and give thanks for the many reasons this can be a day of joy.”

There you have it. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all carry that sentiment of gratitude throughout our complicated and often difficult lives. By the time this hits the newsstands on Friday, we will be trying to be creative with all the leftovers and start the month-long worry about Christmas.

My garden observations are on hold until next week, as well as complaints about the state of our nation. Hopefully, my editor can find a large photo to fill the page.