Sara Josepha Hale is the Godmother of Thanksgiving. After reading a diary of a pilgrim’s life, she was inspired to start a one woman letter writing campaign to make Thanksgiving a holiday. Her campaign lasted for many years and in a letter to president Lincoln in 1863, she asked the president to use his power to make Thanksgiving a national holiday “for all those classes of people who are under the National Government.” The President was in the midst of the Civil War and agreed that Thanksgiving would be a unifying holiday, and announced that the nation will be celebrating the holiday every year on the final Thursday of the month. She also published recipes for turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, and truly influenced the Thanksgiving menu as we know it today.
Last month, my family and many others, gathered around the table, and we had the honor of hosting friends for their very first Thanksgiving. As everyone passed the filled to the brim platters of our Thanksgiving favorites, my heart filled with so much gratitude for this special time. My son used a Martha Stewart recipe to make an amazing stuffing from scratch. It was SO good! He used real bread, which he toasted and let sit for a couple of days, along with fresh thyme, sage and parsley.
We of course had the turkey and all other delicious side dishes, and my personal favorite, candied yams with marshmallows.
As it does every year, Thanksgiving passed so fast, I miss it already. I cherish the time we spent with each other and taking a moment to think about how fortunate we all are. And not once did I wish that I were standing in line in a retail store to get the best deal on the latest flat screen.
rikicarignan 
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