Giving Thanks

November is full of all kinds of activities. Some people are busy trying to get their fifty thousand words for NaNoWriMo. I've done it a few years and I would do it again if I had a story brewing. Okay, so I actually do, but I also have edits for four other books that are screaming at me. 

In Australia, they started No Shave November, or more commonly known there as Movember. They celebrate it in honor of men's health.

For my sister, it's her birthday!

But my favorite part of November is Thanksgiving. I love the food, spending time with family, and yes, I've been one to take part in Black Friday.

There's another reason I love Thanksgiving though. Back in high school I was reading through my family history and came across one woman that surprised me. Her name is Sarah Josepha Hale and she is the "Mother of Thanksgiving."

Sarah was quite a pioneer in many rights. She wrote for several journals and was one of the first published women in America. When she married, her husband, David Hale, taught her to read and write. She wrote articles on slavery, but she also helped with a magazine that focused on women's rights.

Along with the magazines she wrote for (Godey's Ladies Journal and then editor for Ladies Magazine and Literary Gazette), Sarah also came out with a book of poetry, The Genius of Oblivion and Other Original Poems and is credited with writing Mary Had a Little Lamb! She has another book, Northwood that she published as well.

At that time, Thanksgiving was only celebrated in small villages throughout the country. Sarah wanted to have it made a national holiday and began writing to the President of the United States. She continued writing to five different presidents before President Lincoln agreed to make it a holiday in 1863.

Sarah believed strongly in women gaining an education and stated that it was the most important thing they could do.

As a junior in high school that wanted nothing more than to get a book published, Sarah was a huge influence on me. She didn't let anything stop her and wrote about what she believed in. One thing I love about writing and being published is that I can leave a legacy for those that follow after me. I just hope that I can leave the same kind of legacy as my ancestor before me.

What are you thankful for?