by Sarah Earlene Shere, Hosanna Heralds, ©2022
(Nov. 25, 2022) — [See the previous installments in this series here.]
“Thursday, November 26, 1863,
“I cannot thank God enough for the miracles I have seen today! After nearly two decades of wishing and praying, my family and I came together for a day of thanks, knowing that the rest of the nation was joining us in the same.
“I don’t think I shall ever forget the tears running down Washington’s face as he held his laughing daughter and cooing grandbaby in his arms. What a blessing to share in their reunion and have them sit at our ample, feast-laden table!
“May God bless President Lincoln, who had the compassion and insight to see fit to make a Thanksgiving Proclamation, on the third of this last October.
“The world may little remember these days of civil war. But I pray our nation will never again repeat the sin of brother rising against brother with bitterness and hate. And if, God forbid, such a day shall come, I pray that there will always be a Thanksgiving Day, when mankind may, if only for a moment, lay down their arms and defenses and join as one, to be grateful for all the good gifts that are given to us by Almighty God; trusting that His mercies will continue to be new every morning and His grace will always be held out as an offering to those He has created in His image.”
Looking up from her writing, Sarah smiled as she watched Snicklefritz, through the window, crossing the yard; he could barely see over the bundle of scraps of food she had bound up for him to share with his mother. “A Happy Thanksgiving,” she mused aloud, “to every living creature!”
***
A Note from the author:
As some of you may know, this Flash Fiction story, “Of Pumpkins and Pixies,” is based on true events. On September 28, 1863, Sarrah Hale, an American writer (author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”), activist and editor, at age 75, wrote a letter to President Lincoln, suggesting he make a declaration of a national Thanksgiving Day to be held annually on the last Thursday of November. She had been advocating for this for fifteen to seventeen years prior. Finally, just days later, on October 3rd, 1863, President Lincoln made Sarah’s dream a reality, making a Thanksgiving Proclamation effective immediately! That year, November 26, 1863 (150 Thanksgivings ago), in the middle of the Civil War, the nation took time to recognize and thank God for all the blessings they had. And there is no historical evidence to prove that pixies were not involved.