Have you ever wondered how to get people to listen to you? You have a great idea for some fantastic new way to do things, but for some reason, no one cares. Did you know you have what it takes to actually have people see your vision and want to come on board with your ideas?
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
My daughters brought a book home from the library entitled “Thank you, Sarah.” Written byLaurie Halse Anderson and illustrated by Matt Faulkner.
The true story is about how we almost never had Thanksgiving if not for Sarah Hale.
A long time ago, only the New England states celebrated Thanksgiving. In the Mid-Atlantic states, the Western, and Southern states nobody cared. Sarah liked the holiday and thought everybody should celebrate it. Telling people about the holiday and why she liked it so much, got other people to celebrate it, too. She would write her thoughts in articles, magazines, everywhere she could. She persuaded people to make the world a better place.
As more and more people liked the idea of Thanksgiving, she got other people to write letters too. They got Thanksgiving recognized as a holiday in many states. But Sarah wanted to have the whole country celebrate the day on the 4th Thursday in November. She thought it would be great if the whole country would celebrate on the same day. Sarah wrote to the President and got rejected by the President. After each new election, she wrote again. The Presidents said NO. Zachary Taylor,Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan.
Around this time the nation was tearing apart from Civil War. The North and South were divided. America was falling down, we needed something to bring us together. When Abraham Lincoln got Sarah’s letter, he thought this would be the perfect thing to help the nation. He made it a national holiday in 1863.
It only took Sarah 38 years to get her wish.
This looks like a healthy addition to the Failure Club. Are you as stubborn as Sarah? I hope so. All the good dreams worth persuing require it. For all my readers, here’s to you and your dreams and your family on Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Sarah.