Did you know that the first official Thanksgiving.....
But did you know that the first official Thanksgiving was proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, one of the worst times in American history, when our bloodiest war was raging and the Union itself was teetering. And it came about because of one of those remarkable, now almost forgotten, 19
thcentury wonder women.
Her name was Sarah Josepha Hale and at a time when few women worked, she, a poor New England widow, always dressed in black, supported herself and her five children after her husband’s death by writing poetry and novels. She wrote a novel about slavery that was a best seller in our country and in England as well. She also wrote a book of poetry that included a poem we all know, “Mary Had A Little Lamb.”
Then Sarah, already in her 40s, became the editor of a magazine for women in Boston. Her editing skills were so admired that the publisher of the “Godey’s Lady’s Book,” the most popular women’s magazine of the day, bought the magazine she worked for so that she could become his editor. Sarah stayed on as editor for nearly forty years until she was almost ninety. Believe me, I admire—and envy-- her ability to keep the job as well. And during those years she promoted and published many American women writers and was an important advocate for education for girls. She also in her spare time wrote about fifty books.
But Sarah is best remembered, when she is remembered at all , for being the relentless lobbyist for the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. There had been Thanksgiving celebrations in New England from colonial times, but it was not a holiday celebrated throughout the country. Over seventeen years, she wrote letters to five Presidents saying that Americans needed more unifying occasions. . She wrote, “We have too few holidays. Thanksgiving, like the Fourth of July, should be a national festival and observed by all people… There is a deep moral influence in these periodical seasons of rejoicing, in which whole communities participate. They bring out … the best sympathies in our natures.”
Finally, Lincoln agreed and in his proclamation establishing the holiday, focused on the positive and expressed optimism about the future of America.
So, yes, it is easy to be thankful at Thanksgiving when times are good. But maybe it is even more necessary to be grateful and positive in tough times. And it is important to remember that one usually can prevail over obstacles, if, like Sarah Josepha Hale, you remain committed and determined.
Have a Wonder Thanksgiving