She lived in my city, Boston. But first, she wrote letters to men. She got rejected. She wrote again. She got rejected again. She wrote again. Did not give up. She got rejected again. And she wrote and she got rejected. Again... Sarah was her name. Some called her Josepha. The one read from her and refused her first was a man named Zachary Taylor. Josepha was a autodidact, a self trained without formal schooling and education by any teacher. Zachary laughed at her and scoffed. The next guy, Millard Filmore, just looked at her letter, funny he said, looked again, and threw it. And the next one, Franklin Pierce this time, did not even bother reading it in full and half way through it he said 'oh, thank you but, no'. She wrote for years, wrote again this time to James and he chuckled and said to his secretary 'send a good luck note please' and his aide said 'yes Mr Buchanan'. Sarah was not amused. But did not give up. Then she wrote again this time to Abraham. All these men were in a different different and far away city from her. Abraham was known affectionately as Abe. He re-read the letter. She wrote in her letter to Abe 'everybody ignored me, but what do you say to this?' He took his pen and the paper from his desk's drawer and scratched a few words on it with green ink, 'Splendid, I like you and what you say' he noted, 'will sponsor you' and added 'Josephina, what a great girl you are and how nice of you to think of me and get in touch with me'. He signed it. He had a secretary, a personal assistant too. And his letter was enveloped. The envelope was printed Abe's name and his address on its left upper corner. It read Abraham Lincoln, The President, Washington, District of Colombia. It got to Boston in a horse pulled carriage and was hand delivered to Josephina. She was happy to get accepted, years later and letter after letter,she had succeeded; had found her sponsor. What a nice guy this Abe she said. I like him a lot, she wrote in her diary. She had written and failed until now every time she had written: 'you know, the first harvest by our colony on this new land was so difficult after such a though first year here, out of all the women came here with their men in search of their dreams in this new country most had died within the first year and there were only five women were left .And the rest 45 were all men with 50 of them together fasting in worship to God to say "Thank you" for the food they just had harvested. And they had also were friendly with the locals, called themselves Wampanoags. These guys said to them, why fast more after a year of starvation here until your harvest, look what we brought to you, these birds are called Turkey, lets have a feast, eat together and celebrate instead. And they did. Three days in a row. And they said thank you. Thank you God for our harvest and letting us survive and letting us have food today and letting us have a new land and a new freedom and new hope and new future today. We give you our Thanks. So that was the First Thanksgiving. But Mr President, Sarah added, we forgot all this and it has been a long time since then. We must celebrate the same by giving our thanks nationwide as one country on the same harvest day all in unison as one nation under God. I ask you to make this happen and sponsor this as a national celebration day, she had suggested She got sponsored by Abe Lincoln. Sarah wrote other things too. The "Mary had a Little Lamb" she had written was read to the Phonograph as the first human voice recording by Edison in her honor. We celebrated Thanksgiving every year the fourth Thursday of November since then. Today is another one. And eating Turkey that is native to North America that the locals introduced to the Pilgrims that had settled as Sarah's ancestors became the food synonymous with the holiday and the celebration of its meaning. Turkey was so important to us since the first year, Benjamin Franklin had even suggested the National Symbol of the United States should be the Turkey. But Eagle was selected instead as it looked more majestic and powerful and closer to heavens and the God in high skies. The Eagle that soared so very very high one day so much so that this time was flying over and descending down on the surface of the Moon had a special preparation. The first meal of the first Men on the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, had their first meal Turkey on this new land they conquered. The new land of the brave and home of the free extended over the moon they said when they had their Turkey meal in Thanks to God and Thanksgiving to their good fortunes of success on this unbelievable journey of theirs. And their fellow friend, Michael Collins, flying over their head to pick them up on return, radioed to them: Not many knows about Sarah Josepha Hale, guys. Because female Turkey, the Hen does not gobble, it is the male Turkey does the gobbling so they are heard. Enjoy your Turkey Sandwiches as I do mine. All three chuckled. And said "Thank you Almighty" said altogether. Maybe you my Hen who does not gobble, will be the next Josepha shaping the culture and life and the future of our land of the brave and home of the free with your wisdom and your children's power. And we will say thank you to you too when that happens.