stormsinafrica | Fill 22 Card 1: Pilgrim (Reply)

Thor and Jane's twins, Freyja and Freddie, are very excited about their school's upcoming Fall play. They are both going to be playing pilgrims in the play and they can't wait to get on stage to show everyone what they've been practicing for weeks. But when Thor asked who the pilgrims are were, Jane knew it was time to share their story from history.

Jane asked her son to bring her his history book, and after Freddie returned with it, she flipped through the pages until she found the section. She showed him he pages as she said, "The pilgrims were a group of people who left England in the early 1600s in order to escape religious persecution that was going on at the time in England. They sailed to what later became Massachusetts here in the United States."

Thor looked confused, "Why did they leave England?"

"They wanted to be able to worship in their own way instead of being told how to do it by the government of the Church of England."

Thor nodded, "This is very different from what we believe on Asgard. No beliefs or religion is imposed on any of our citizens. although most of our people hold beliefs of the All-Fathers within their hearts. What did these **pilgrims** do in America?"

"Well they had a very hard time after they arrived. They had to make a life for themselves and had to build everything from scratch. They also needed to grow their own food since they didn't have much left from the journey, and the winter they went through after getting here was a very harsh, cold one. Although many of them died during the winter, they didn't give up."

"Yeah, they were very brave!" Freyja said, "Weren't they, Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie, they were."

In the week leading up to the play, the twins dressed up in their pilgrim costumes and they rehearsed their lines to be sure they knew them. They recited lines about the hardships the pilgrims had faced, along with lines of gratitude for the native peoples who befriended and helped them, along with some about the importance of perseverance and faith.

Both Thor and Jane looked on with pride as they watched their children come onto the stage. Along with their classmates, Freyja and Freddie brought the story of the pilgrims to life, helping the audience to remember the bravery and determination that had helped to shape the foundation of the United States.

The audience applauded when the play ended, and Thor turned to his wife, "That was a very interesting story. I am pleased that our children were able to learn about such an important part of this Midgard's history."

"I'm glad too that they got to share the story with others. I think they made us all very proud!" Jane agreed with a smile.