Families throughout our country will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. That first holiday was celebrated by the pilgrims in 1621. Chief Massasoit and his braves joined with the colonists to feast after the first successful harvest. Together they thanked God for His goodness. I was very touched and thankful when I read about the efforts of one woman, Sarah Josephea Hale, to help make it a national, legal holiday. It is true that President George Washington as the leader of the nation, issued a proclamation in 1789 that November 26th be recognized as a day of thanks.
In the years that followed, it seemed many people were too involved going west and opening new frontiers to think about Thanksgiving. Some thought the high cost of turkey and feasting was too expensive. Then began Sarah J. Hale's campaign to influence the public as editor of a woman's magazine. She wrote many articles, editorials, and letters to governors, congressmen, and even the president pleading for them to remember Thanksgiving Day. She continued her writing campaign, and by 1859, thirty states had accepted the idea of an annual Thanksgiving. She still wanted the entire country to recognize a national day of thanks. It was in 1863 that President Lincoln issued a new proclamation calling for a national harvest festival on the last Thursday of November. In 1941, our Congress passed a resolution making the fourth Thursday of each November a national, legal holiday. As it was for the pilgrims in 1621, it is for us a day to gather with families and friends, thanking the Lord for his harvest and blessings. This holiday came about because one determined woman stood firm in her beliefs. A thankful tribute to Sarah J. Hale.
Warm Thoughts: There is a lot of thanks in giving. A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues. Cicero. Gratitude is the memory of the heart. John Baptiste Masslou. Happy Thanksgiving!
Warm Thoughts from the Little Home on the Prairie Over a Cup of Tea by Luetta G. Werner.
Published in the Marion Record on November 21st, 1996.
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Till next time,
Trina