Did you know a woman saved Thanksgiving?! My daughter is in 3rd grade and every week she brings home a new library book. Most of the time, they are simply cute stories about puppies but recently she read me this one and I was astounded to find this out. This was never in any history class I recall. ThanksgivingThe book is called, Thank You Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson and she tells of how long ago when skirts were long and hats were tall, Thanksgiving was in trouble and the celebration of it nearly extinct. It took a dainty, elderly lady by the name of Sarah Hale to fight for it to survive. She also fought for school for girls, and playgrounds for kids. And, she spoke out against spanking, pie for breakfast, and slavery. She made an impact through her secret weapon – her pen! While raising 5 children, she wrote poetry, children’s books, novels, biographies, and was the 1st female magazine editor.sarah-josepha-hale-2 But then she realized the importance of Thanksgiving was being ignored and she wanted the whole country to celebrate it on the same day. She’d write letters to politicians and magazine articles – and she got other women to write requesting Thanksgiving as a holiday too. Individual states started to recognize it but she wanted this to be a national holiday. For years, she’d write Presidents Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and they all said, “NO!” And, then in 1863, President Lincoln said, “Yes!” Talk about persistence. It took her 38 years of thousands of letters, but that didn’t stop this bold, brave, smart lady to get a nation to give, “Thanks!” Thank You Sarah Hale for our holiday, Thanksgiving. SWMH_stampI give thanks to all of you who support and encourage women in business everywhere and for believing in Successful Women Made Here. Are you a member yet?  If not, we’d love to get to know you better and help you excel even more in what you do.  Check us out on our membership page – CLICK HERE.