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Thanks, Sarah Hale” © by Rev Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens The Reverend Alison Wilbur Eskildsen, Parish Minister The Reverend Don Randall, Community Minister “Thanks, Sarah Hale” © by Rev. Alison Wilbur Eskildsen A reflection delivered on November 24, 2019 At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, GA Centering Thoughts: A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. Cicero I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. Abraham Lincoln Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Ward Beecher ‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. ‘Thank you’ expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. Alice Walker A True Tale (an approximation of what was told) When you think about Thanksgiving, what do you think of most? (Food? Family? Time off from school or work?) Why do you think we celebrate Thanksgiving? (Pilgrims, harvest, gratitude) Much of what you’ve heard about the Pilgrims having a harvest celebration with the Indians is true. The Indians helped the early European settlers by showing them how to plant corn, find fish, and hunt fowl. And the two groups celebrated that first harvest together. The festivities lasted 3 days and included games and friendly contests, as well as meals that included turkey and venison. This friendship lasted many years. But as more and more Europeans arrived, the two groups became less friendly. Wars broke out and many Indians were forced off their lands or killed. European settlement caused great harm to the Indians. Today, Indians, also called Native Americans, don’t celebrate Thanksgiving as a tribute to the Pilgrims’ survival. For many of them, it is a day to remember those who died because of the European invasion or colonization, depending on your perspective. Sarah Josepha Hale, a Unitarian ancestor, wanted a Thanksgiving holiday, not to memorialize the Pilgrims, but to create a national day of unity during a very divisive time. 780 Timothy Road Athens, Georgia 30606 706-546-7914 www.uuathensga.org [email protected] Sarah was born in 1788, just as America was becoming an independent nation. By the time she was grown and had a family of her own, America had forgotten Thanksgiving. It was not a national holiday. But Sarah hadn’t forgotten it. In 1827, Sarah wrote a book in which she described a Thanksgiving meal likely to break most tables. Turkey, beef, pork, lamb, duck, and chicken were all served, along with gravy, stuffing, vegetables, bread, and pickles. For dessert there was plum pudding, custards, cakes, fruit, and pies of every description, most notably pumpkin. Wine, cider and beer topped off the fare. Her description became the model for the ideal Thanksgiving dinner. Sarah didn’t stop with this description. When she became editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, in 1836, she began a campaign to make Thanksgiving as a national holiday celebrated on the same day throughout the country. Sarah, the Oprah of her time, wrote articles in her widely-read magazine. Her readers took up the cause and wrote letters to local and state politicians. Sarah wrote to Presidents. First, to Zachary Taylor. He said no. She wrote to President Millard Fillmore. He said no. She wrote to President Franklin Pierce. He said no. She wrote to President James Buchanan. He said no. She wrote President Abraham Lincoln. He said yes. After over 30 years, Sarah’s persistence paid off. President Lincoln agreed because the nation was in the midst of the Civil War. North and South were divided by the issue of slavery. Like Sarah, Lincoln believed a national day to give thanks would help bring the country together. So in 1863 he proclaimed the world’s first public, legal holiday. Almost 100 years later Congress declared the fourth Thursday of November the annual Thanksgiving observance day. So when you sit down to dinner this coming Thursday, don’t only give thanks for the company and food you may enjoy. Give thanks to Sarah Hale for her persistence in making this a holiday. But also give thanks for all your blessings and remember to share your blessings with others, as Sarah would have us to do. Reflection: Thank you for all the gifts you give to this Fellowship and the wider community. As you know, my son Scott and his family is visiting this weekend. Next week Paul and I will see our younger son and his wife. I look forward to holiday time with those I love. But I recognize that Thanksgiving is a complex holiday. In 2016, the UU Association General Assembly passed a resolution titled “Thanksgiving Day Reconsidered,” asking us to demythologize the Thanksgiving story and acknowledge the oppression that accompanied our nation’s founding and rise to power. 780 Timothy Road Athens, Georgia 30606 706-546-7914 www.uuathensga.org [email protected] This matters not only because it is true, and facts matter, but also because our UU history is closely tied to New England settlers. Many Unitarian churches began as Puritan Congregational. And it matters because our modern celebration of Thanksgiving owes its existence to Unitarian Sarah Josepha Hale. Fortunately, Sarah’s primary purpose in creating a national day of Thanksgiving was not to glorify the Pilgrims, the decimation of Native Americans, or the enslavement of Africans. Instead, she wanted to help unify the nation at a divisive time, so divisive it led to civil war. And though that war has ended, we still seem to be fighting. Perhaps not in uniforms of gray or blue, but in voting blocks of red or blue. One can argue that, since those days, our country has never been more divided than now. We could use a little national unity. Long before Lincoln proclaimed it in 1863, Sarah indicated her hopes for the holiday. In an 1858 article titled “Our National Thanksgiving,” she wrote: (page 463, Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, Vol. 57, July to December 1858) Let this day, from this time forth, as long as our Banner of Stars floats on the breeze, be the grand Thanksgiving Holiday of our nation, when the noise and tumult of worldliness may be exchanged for the laugh of happy children, the glad greetings of family reunion, and the humble gratitude of the Christian heart. …Let us consecrate the day to benevolence of action, by sending good gifts to the poor, and doing those deeds of charity that will, for one day, make every American home the place of plenty and of rejoicing. She highlighted America’s common values—compassion, humility, and gratitude. In the midst of our divisions, Sarah wanted us to stop and notice that we have much in common. When Lincoln made the national holiday official, he invited citizens (quote) “to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.” We also want peace, harmony, tranquility and union. I know many of you will visit family over the holidays with whom you disagree, whether due to religious, political, or even ethical-eating differences. It should come as no surprise that in a research study after the 2016 election, UCLA behavioral economists found that people spent less time with families at Thanksgiving and were not crossing red-to-blue state boundaries. The study’s authors noted this meant fewer cross-partisan discourse occurring. To reach these conclusions they analyzed cell phone data to measure travel patterns. (Source— https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_save_thanksgiving_from_political_arguments and https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty_pages/keith.chen/papers/Final_Science18.pdf) If you are among those who do plan to gather with family members across a divide, experts suggest rather than avoid difficult conversations, invite your relatives to help you better understand their point of view. Ask questions, particularly about the values or experiences that lead them to their opinions. Listen carefully. Repeat back to them what you heard. Don’t simply try to convince them of the error of their ways. 780 Timothy Road Athens, Georgia 30606 706-546-7914 www.uuathensga.org [email protected] In return, they may listen to you with equal courtesy. And in that listening, you might find common ground that can start healing and lessen the divide. This Thanksgiving, stop to give thought and energy to our work of eliminating the oppression of Native and African Americans, a legacy America has perpetuated since Europeans and the enslaved arrived on this continent. And don’t forget to enjoy your holiday and give thanks for life’s many blessings. Questions for Reflection or Discussion: 1. Who has influenced your life in positive ways? Have you given them a “Thank you”? 2. Is it difficult for you to express gratitude? What makes it easy or difficult? 3. Have you persevered over time to accomplish a significant goal? What kept you working at it? 4. Do you look forward to holidays or family gatherings? What might you do to increase holiday joy? 780 Timothy Road Athens, Georgia 30606 706-546-7914 www.uuathensga.org [email protected] .
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