Five Kernels of Gratitude
- ahwcweb
- 17 hours ago
- 6 min read
During the early days of the Plymouth Colony, the winter of 1623 was brutal; food was so scarce, some stories tell us the daily ration for some Pilgrims dwindled to just five kernels of corn per person. This period of near starvation was a time of hardship and uncertainty that tested the settlers’ endurance and faith. Despite these hardships, they survived, thanks to God for sending the Native Americans to teach them how to cultivate corn and other essential survival skills.
Years later, as the colony flourished, they began placing five kernels of corn on each Thanksgiving plate, not as a decoration, but as a symbol. Each kernel represented a reason to be thankful, a reminder of the hardships they had overcome, and the gratitude of helpful neighbors, and a call to never take abundance for granted.
The tradition of placing five kernels of corn on each plate during Thanksgiving can also help us remember:
That suffering has been part of the prosperity we enjoy today.
The help we receive from others is a blessing that cannot be measured because it is multiplied.
The unity they built kept them focused on the faithfulness of God that sustained them.
Hezekiah Butterworth (1839–1905) was an American author, editor, and poet known for his historical and educational writings. He was deeply interested in the Pilgrims and the founding of America, and he often used storytelling and verse to teach moral and patriotic lessons. One of his most enduring works is the poem Five Kernels of Corn and is often recited before Thanksgiving meals in New England, especially among families with Mayflower ancestry.
“'Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o'er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!
"Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!"
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
"Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!"
O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o'er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners' Hill!
"Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!
"The raven's gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!"
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the "Five Kernels of Corn."
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!
To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!”1
What would Five Kernels mean to us today?
Could it mean:
Seeing beauty in the ordinary?
Finding faith and strength in adversity?
Building bridges through appreciation and gratitude?
Multiplying joy by sharing a helping hand?
Thanking God for His sustenance and grace?
Even in the smallest blessings—like five kernels of corn—there is reason to rejoice, not just on Thanksgiving but all year through, shifting our focus from scarcity to sufficiency, from cravings to contentment, from what’s missing to what’s meaningful.
This Thanksgiving, consider placing five kernels of corn on each plate and inviting your guests to reflect on these five themes:
Faith – for the strength to endure
Family – for those who walk beside us
Friendship – for the love that lifts us
Freedom – for the ability to gather, pray and praise, according to the dictates of our own conscience
Future – for the hope that endures
Let each kernel spark a moment of reflection, a story shared, or a heartfelt “thank you.”
Five Kernels of Gratitude
On plates we place five kernels small,
To honor those who gave their all.
Through frost and famine, hope was born—
A feast began with kernels of corn.
One for the faith that kept them strong,
One for the friends who came along.
One for the freedom they pursued,
One for the dreams they dared renew.
And one for love that still survives—
The greatest gift in all our lives.
~ Author Unknown
This Thanksgiving, let us remember with humility that after hardships there are a blessings; the hardship others have endured paved the way for us to enjoy today freedom of religion in the Great USA.
Blue Skies,
Dana West, RDN, LD, ACLMDIP
Dana holds a bachelors in Dietetics and is board certified in Lifestyle Medicine, with emphasis in human nutrition, physiology and nutrition education. She is registered with the Commission of Dietetic Registration and is licensed with the state of AR. Dana has a passion for helping people embrace health and conquer disease and has been doing so for nearly 30 years.
She is the co-founder and president of Abundant Health Wellness Center with a goal to help you achieve your best health and the creator of the Start a New YOU!® online program to reverse inflammation so you can start feeling better day by day. She hosts 5-12-day reversing disease immersive health retreats to help you put all the pieces together to experience health now.
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Start a New YOU!® Cookbook: An anti-inflammatory cookbook avoiding common food allergens with a 2-week menu with all the recipes.
Start a New YOU!® Reflections: A health devotional highlighting the Ten Essentials for Health™ that she covers in the Start a New YOU!® Program to reverse inflammation and chronic disease.
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