BETH TRISSEL --

My guest on Vintage Vonnie today is Beth Trissel. Beth and I have struck up a friendship through VA Romance Writers and other online romance writers groups. She is a warm, supportive and interesting person. Her novels are rich with history, well researched and full of her beloved herbs and flowers. Welcome, Beth.    (Photo of Beth and her novels by Nikki Fox at The Daily News Record.)
Greetings and thanks for having me on Vintage Vonnie.  I'm a Virginia author of historical and light paranormal romance with the Wild Rose Press. I also write creative non-fiction pieces about rural life. The beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding mountains are my inspiration.  For more on me, my blog is the happening place: https://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/

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Today, I thought I’d discuss the real first Thanksgiving in the New World. When doing research for the sequel to Enemy of the King (postponed after the idea for Somewhere My Love came to me) my mother and I toured several of the lovely James River plantations. Two of these, Berkeley and Shirley, most influenced the home in Somewhere My Love, ‘Foxleigh.’

While visiting Berkeley originally called Berkeley Hundred and named after one of its founders, I was especially impressed by the wealth of history behind this beautiful old home and grounds. The magnificent terraced boxwood gardens and lawn extend a quarter-mile from the front door to the James River. The mansion itself wasn’t built until 1726, but the plantation’s history reaches much farther back into America‘s roots. I didn’t know that Berkeley was the actual site of the first Thanksgiving in America on Dec. 4th, 1619.

On December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred about 8,000 acres on the north bank of the James River near Herring Creek in an area then known as Charles Cittie. It was about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, where the first permanent settlement of the Colony of Virginia was established on May 14, 1607. The group’s charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a “day of thanksgiving” to God. On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving.

During the Indian Massacre of 1622 nine of the settlers at Berkeley Hundred were killed, as well as about a third of the entire population of the Virginia Colony. The Berkeley Hundred site and other outlying locations were abandoned as the colonists withdrew to Jamestown and other more secure points. After several years, the site became Berkeley Plantation and was long the traditional home of the Harrison family, one of the First Families of Virginia.

Benjamin Harrison, son of the builder of Berkeley and the plantation’s second owner, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and three-time Governor of Virginia. William Henry Harrison, Benjamin‘s third son, born at Berkeley, was the famous Indian fighter known as “Tippecanoe,” who later became the ninth President of the United States, in 1841. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, was the 23rd President.

Many famous founding fathers and mothers were guests at this gracious and elegant estate. For more on Berkeley Plantation and a fascinating glimpse into early America visit:

http://www.berkeleyplantation.com/

http://www.jamesriverplantations.org/Berkeley.html

Counting one's blessings...

One of the things I learned from my mother was to count my blessings. Odd that we have a national holiday set aside to do that. Shouldn't that be a part of our daily lives?

Our society is so focused on the quest to obtain "more," that we forget to give thanks for what we already have.

I'd like to be a beautiful woman: long curly hair, blue-violet eyes, slender figure, long shapely legs. But folks, it ain't happenin'.  I will share with you that having had my hair go scalp-seeing thin a couple years ago thanks to the removal of my thyroid, I'm thankful for the hair I now have. My brown eyes can see the beauty of my family and friends just fine, even with those early cataracts. To see the people one cherishes is a great blessing, to say nothing of looking at the sky, the mountains, flowers and artwork. I'm even thankful for my cottage cheese thighs because I'm still able to walk wherever I want; I'm not using a walker or confined to a wheelchair.

Every morning when Calvin turns on that same opera CD, I take pause and think how grateful I am I can still hear it. Life without classical music and Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan or Aretha Franklin would be a cold, silent vacuum.

What I'm slowly getting at here is sometimes we get so caught up in our wants and desires, we forget to count the many blessings we already have. Yes, one needs ambitions; one also needs to take stock. Take stock of ALL you have.

At our ages (I'm 62 and Cal is 79), we're very grateful for our good health and that we are active. We count our children (Amy, Steve, Mike and Kelly) as our greatest achievements. Raising them was a joy for both of us; they've given us great memories. Our six grandchildren (mine actually, but they've wormed their way into Cal's heart, as well) are a delight. We celebrate every achievement they have--both academic and sports-related. We also cherish our ever-increasing circle of friends. Lucky us to have met such interesting people!

We've both been blessed with a deep-seated desire to write. As a result of our passion, we both have book contracts. Words cannot express our gratitude for these gifts.

God has blessed us with so many things, large and small--the most-appreciated gift being each other. After living alone for so many years, residing in different states, it was God's hand that brought us together. And isn't it a blessing that we live in a country where we can chose to worship any way our spirit leads?

At times, one has to feel content with his or her surroundings. No, we don't live in a large McMansion. We love our little cottage; it's filled with love, after all. No, we don't drive a Lexus; our Camry has a smooth ride and it's paid for. No, we aren't young and beautiful, or slim and shapely. We are us, comfortable in our wrinkled skin, happy we can still learn something new every day, thrilled with our family's accomplishments, awed that our dreams are coming true and thankful--extremely thankful for all we have.

Happy Thanksgiving!