To whom do we give thanks?

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday, what with all the fellowship and good eating.  Naturally then, one would think we should be thanking the people who were responsible for the idea of Thanksgiving and later establishing it as a holiday.

The Pilgrims are credited with the concept of Thanksgiving, as they gave thanks for the bountiful harvest which they yielded after enduring the early hardships here in the New World.  However, many have felt that the first Thanksgiving feasts were likely to have been celebrated shortly after the harvest, as opposed to the well recognized holiday of late November.  Equally, there wasn't a nationally celebrated day of Thanksgiving, but perhaps multiple days throughout the year for which the citizens were asked to give thanks for what had been given to them.

In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday, to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November;  no doubt he had more pressing concerns on his mind, but in his words: “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”

However, the concept of a national day of thanksgiving was first proposed by Sarah Josepha Hale of Newport, NH who petitioned 5 presidents before Mr. Lincoln signed the proclamation declaring Thanksgiving a national holiday.

So, here we are celebrating Thanksgiving in large part because of the aspirations of a group of pioneers who left the shores of Europe for a better life, but above all, to the perseverance of one Sarah Josepha Hale whose commitment to making this the holiday that it has become.  Thank you for reminding us that it is always a good idea to give thanks, something that hopefully will never be lost in this world full of distractions.  Happy Thanksgiving!