The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

I follow several book blogs that regularly review advance copies of books. I like seeing what books I have to look forward to, but it can also be agonizing to read an intriguing review and not be able to read the book immediately but instead have to wait weeks (or even months) for it to come out.

Such was the case with this book.

As early as this summer, it was already receiving a fair bit of Newbery attention, but it wasn't officially released until the end of September. And then, of course, it wasn't like the library had it on its shelves the day afterward. So it felt like I had to wait an eternity before I finally got a copy (really, it was just a few months).

Although I would have preferred not waiting, I'm glad I did because this is some pretty good middle-grade fiction.

Oscar lives in the Barrow, just east of Asteri (aka, the "Shining City"). He is the hand of the great magician, Caleb, which basically means he does all of the menial tasks: gathering, drying, chopping, and storing herbs, as well as dusting and cleaning the shop. He is not an apprentice (which, in the hierarchy of the village, is definitely more respectable than a lowly hand) and probably never will be, for in spite of his affinity for plants, he is socially awkward and inept.

But then, strange things begin happening in the Barrow: businesses and the forest are destroyed overnight by an unseen, monstrous hand; the Shining children (from Asteri) are getting sick (which is NOT supposed to happen); Caleb and the magic smiths are leaving the Barrow for days and weeks at a time without explanation. Oscar would rather stay in his cellar surrounded by plants and cats and wait for the troubles to go away on their own, but Callie (the healer's apprentice) pushes Oscar to reach outside himself and do what no one else will to save the village and the city.

This was my first experience with Anne Ursu's writing, and I was absolutely enchanted.  Her prose is simple but sparkling. For example, "[Caleb] smiled his cloaking smile, and Oscar folded himself up into it." When an author can find a way to make a smile more than just a smile but an experience, something that I can feel and remember, I could keep reading forever. Here's another one:  "'And what?' She hit the t so hard it felt like a slap." And also this one: "'And,' Callie said, words tiptoeing up to him, 'what do you think?'" Some people think there is no place for fiction, but how can there not be when words like this have the power to make me think about thoughts and emotions and actions in new and vibrant ways? The story may be made up, but the new ways I feel connected to people are most definitely real. (Incidentally, I've been meaning to read Ursu's Breadcrumbs for awhile, and you can bet it's now going to the top of my list for January.)

Besides just the beautiful writing, this is an intricate story that explores the complex web of good vs. evil: What is really good? Who is really evil?, etc. So many of the characters (Caleb, Mister Malcolm, the Shining people) exhibit conflicting motives, desires, and ambitions--not with each other per se, but with themselves. For example, Mister Malcolm is a baker who used to be a magician. He is kind and generous (good). He abandoned magic because he felt like it was being used unwisely and selfishly (good).  He decides to leave the Barrow because its problems seem overwhelming (maybe not  exactly bad but also not noble), and he feels like the magic-crazed citizens are getting their due (kind of sad). Mister Malcolm has the potential of being a wise mentor, but he takes the cowardly route instead. He's definitely not the most complex character in the story, but I used him as an example because he demonstrates what I mean about the personal struggle between good and evil without giving away any major plot points.

I also loved the setting for this story: the country of Aletheia with its rich and mysterious history (wizard trees, the Plaguelands, unblemished children). There was an element of mystery mixed in with the magic and problems, and everything came together in a really stunning piece of writing.

And the good news? This book is available at your local library right now. No waiting required!

Read Your Way to Christmas: 2013 Edition

Last December, we counted down the days to Christmas with a book advent calendar. You've seen the ideas, right? You wrap up (or you don't have to) 24 (or 25) Christmas books and unwrap (and read) one each day. My boys loved it. And I wrote up a post all about it, showing all 25 books and sharing a little personal info about each one.

And then I didn't publish it until after Christmas.

Yeah, I know, timing was everything on that one, and I completely missed it.

I don't think that post has been viewed once since it was published. So, will you make me feel better and go check it out now?

Read Your Way to Christmas: 2012 Edition

Thanks so much. That post just needed a little love.

Anyway, it was such a success last year I decided to do it again. Luckily, I found some replacements for some of the books I really disliked from last year (Good-bye, Max's Christmas), and so I'm even happier about the countdown this year than last year.

Since many of the books are the same, let me just highlight the new ones from this year.

(Oh, and as a side note, I've had several people ask me if I buy all new books for the countdown. Are you kidding me? 25 new Christmas books each year? No, thank you. These books are put away with all the other Christmas decorations, so it is just as exciting to open them as if they were brand new. Even more so, because they're like old friends that you haven't seen for 11 months. (Oh, and to tell you the truth, I bought most of them at our local thrift store, so we never ever saw them brand new.))

1. Christmas From Heaven - I already wrote about this one here. You know how much I love it. Nothing can beat a true story of human kindness and goodwill.

2. The Gift of the Magi - I have always loved this story, and I can't read it without hearing my dad's voice. This version, illustrated by P.J. Lynch, is absolutely gorgeous. The text is O. Henry's original words, but I'm hoping the pictures spread them out enough to keep my kids' attention (we haven't read it yet).

3. Dream Snow - I almost squealed when I found this at the thrift store. We read it from the library last year and loved it. It has these awesome transparencies of the falling snow, and of course you can't beat Eric Carle's timeless illustrations.

4. Dinosaur vs. Santa - I am not a huge fan of the Dinosaur vs. ______ series, but I actually think this one's kind of funny.

5. Can You See What I See: Night Before Christmas - Last year we had the little I Spy Christmas book, but it was getting a little too simple for Aaron and Maxwell. I can't wait for them to open up this one.

6. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Featuring the irresistible Toot and Puddle, this is just a fun story.

7. The Last Straw - This story is about a camel who makes a long journey and acquires many gifts for the Christ Child.

8. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree - I know a lot of people love this book. I actually haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

9. (not pictured) The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - In all my thrift store searching, I have yet to come across The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It is one of my very favorites, so I succumbed and ordered it. Our Christmas collection needed it (at least, that's what I told Mike).

Books that didn't make the cut this year (some of these I still put out, I just didn't wrap them up):

1. Country Angel Christmas
2. The Night Before Christmas
3. Henry and Mudge and a Very Merry Christmas (this one I kept out so Aaron could read it)
4. Max's Christmas
5. Christmas Mouse
6. Ernest's Special Christmas
7. I Spy Little Christmas
8. The Cheerios Christmas Play Book

Some of you might wonder why, with all my love for the library, I don't just check out all the books for our countdown.

Three reasons:

• Getting the holiday books you want from the library is an extreme pain (and you can't count on them becoming available before December 25th).
• If you do plan ahead and put them all on hold in a timely manner, there's no guarantee that someone else won't also put them on hold, and you'll end up having to unwrap them so you can return them.
• I love being able to love these books as much as we want to without worrying about fines and such.

One of main reasons I love doing a book advent calendar is that it spreads our books out for the entire month, so we get to savor each book before moving onto the next. It also makes it so we enjoy all our books, not just our very favorites because we read the new one each day.

Do you do a book advent calendar? What are your favorite Christmas/holiday books?

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

The end of the year is fast approaching, and I'm rushing to finish the last of my reading goals for 2013. (I'm so, so close. Reading the last book I need as I write this. Okay, not as I write this. You know what I mean.)

One of my goals was to finish a series that I had started sometime in the past. I had many series to choose from, but you all convinced me that the unfinished Chronicles of Narnia was a travesty not to be lightly overlooked. I had read the first three (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader), so I needed to read the last four to complete the series.

Everyone who pushed me to finish The Chronicles of Narnia was right. I'm a little embarrassed it took me so long to read them all (especially since everyone else in my family loves the books and has probably read all of them multiple times).  Well, now I've joined the ranks.

When the story begins, Narnia appears to be at peace. But all is not right beneath the surface. The Calormene people are greedy for power, and deceit and betrayal begin to snatch away all but the most faithful Narnians. One of the instigators of this evil plot is an ape named Shift who convinces Puzzle, the donkey, to put on a lion skin and pretend to be Aslan. It has been so long since anyone has seen Aslan that the masquerade comes off surprisingly well. However, Tirian, king of Narnia, is not so easily convinced but doesn't have enough faithful followers to expose the deception. As the despair begins to set in, Jill and Eustace arrive from England, and they are soon followed by Digory, Polly, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy. (Susan no longer believes in Narnia and so does not have the opportunity to come with the rest.) Together they discover that Aslan has plans for Narnia, plans so wonderful and great none of them could have dared imagine or dream them.

One of the things that continued to surprise me with each book was how little I knew about it before I read it. I guess I just thought since Narnia has been such a well-known name to me since childhood that the plots and characters would feel familiar even though I hadn't read them before. But they didn't. Each book was a delight and a surprise as the plot unraveled itself and new characters were introduced. Even though I didn't read all of them when I was eight, in many ways I felt like a kid again because I was reading them with completely fresh eyes and an unbiased mind. 

Even with this last book, I found myself going into it thinking I knew all about Narnia only to be surprised by a cast of entirely new characters: a unicorn, donkey, ape, cat, and dogs, all of which never make a memorable appearance in any of the other stories. Maybe one of the reasons I have a hard time finishing a series is just that I get a little bored with it all after the third or fourth (or even second . . .) book. Each book is just a continuation of the last with the same types of adventures happening again and again.

But with Narnia, although the setting and the children remain somewhat the same (bringing continuity to the series as a whole), each book is an entirely new adventure with new problems, new villains, new friends, and new lessons learned.

With this last book, the story didn't grab me as quickly, and I was worried the symbolism wasn't going to be as poignant or as powerful as in the other books. But the story was just being set up, and so when the symbolism finally came, it was all the richer for having waited for it.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes (and corresponding thoughts). (Forgive me if they're not exact quotes since I was transcribing them from the audio.)

• "Tirian had never dreamed that one of the results of the ape's setting up a false Aslan would be to stop people from believing in the real one." When Lewis wrote that line, I wonder if he had any idea how true it would be of the world today . . . how we fill our lives with so many tangible things, it's easy to stop believing in Someone who doesn't demand our attention.
• This next quote comes from Emeth, one of the few Calormenes who is not lost in Narnia's destruction. As he is wandering in the Real Narnia, he meets Aslan and is amazed that Aslan knows and loves him since all his life he has served the Calormen god, Tash. Aslan explains that Emith's heart and intentions have always been in the right place. As Emeth tells his story to Eustace and Jill and the others, he says,  "And my happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me 'Beloved.' Me, who is but as a dog." I have a feeling that I will feel much the same way when I finally meet my Savior: wonder, awe, and gratitude.
• The next two quotes are similar, as they both describe the various characters' reactions to discovering that they are still in Narnia. First, from Lord Digory, "Listen, Peter, when Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of, but that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow, or a copy, of the real Narnia, which has always been here and always will be here. Just as our own world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan's real world." And also this one, from Jewel, the unicorn: "I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this." What a beautiful way to describe the transformation of the world that is described in the scriptures. In some ways, C.S. Lewis reminds me of Albert Einstein. They both had a unique understanding of time and space--one spiritual, one scientific, but who knows but that they're not the same.
• And finally, this quote: "But very quickly, they all became grave again, for, as you know, there is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes." I don't know that I've ever heard this kind of happiness described so well, but I've felt it, and I think C.S. Lewis captured it beautifully. 

Before I wrap this up, I just want to say one thing (okay, maybe two or three) about Susan. After the first two books, she is mentioned only briefly, here and there, through the rest of the series. But even without knowing the details, her fall from belief is tragic. I don't think children reading the book will understand the gravity of it all (especially since it is skimmed over), but surely adults cannot miss it. Susan was a queen of Narnia. A queen. And yet, she lost her estate. It is definitely a good reminder to me that no matter how strong your testimony is or the depth of your understanding, it is possible to fall away and lose it. We must all hold fast to that which is precious.

Even though this wasn't my very favorite of the Narnia books, I thought it was a perfect ending to the series. It felt complete while still giving a hint that the story was far from finished and that new adventures would continue to happen. Reading this series has been one of the highlights of my year, and I even put the collection on my Christmas list because I want these books to be a part of our family.

Bah Humbug

I love Christmas. It is by far my favorite holiday. I love the whole month of anticipation and activities leading up to it; I love the Christmas carols and songs; I love the transformation of the dark and dismal streets into elegant splendor. And I love focusing on the incomprehensible love and sacrifice of the Savior.

But I don't love everything about the Season. At the risk of offending the majority of my readers, here are five things I fervently wish would go (and stay) away:

1. Elf on the Shelf. I know this is supposedly a revived tradition from the 1950's, but it seems more like a commercialized scheme to me. Honestly, I think if this was someone's personal family tradition, I might think it was kind of cute and creative, but where everyone has their own little elf to keep an eye on them during the day and then wreak havoc at night, it's just so ridiculous for so many reasons: 1) I know the elf doesn't have to do naughty things, but many of them do (that seems to kind of be the point), and that just seems like a horrible message for my kids (you better watch out, you better not cry, but let's all laugh about Bobby the Elf spilling soda pop all over the floor and making snow angels in rice). 2) It feels so fake to me. Even if I was a fan, I don't think I could pull off the nightly deceptions. (What about Santa, you ask? That's a whole other discussion, but even though Santa comes to our house, I try to focus more on other things. Still, I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite on this point.) 3) It's one more daily thing to clutter my life. We do have lots of holiday traditions (some of them daily), but I try to only hang onto ones that I feel strongly about and enjoy doing every year. So if you do Elf on the Shelf, I hope it's filling your life with joy and happiness. (I found this article on the Nauvoo Times to be very validating.) I had a feeling Aaron would probably be hearing about elves on shelves from kids at school, and so before he even asked about it, I flat out told him there was no way we'd ever get one. Just call me Scrooge.

2. Inflatable decorations. You know what I'm talking about, right? Giant Santa Clauses and Grinches and Snoopys that blow up like balloons and fill up your entire front yard. They look so tacky and cheap to me, and it seems like the lazy man's way of decorating: instead of stringing lights around your trees, why not stick a giant purple hippo wearing a Santa Claus hat on your front porch (you think I'm kidding . . . I drove past this very thing today) and call it good?

3. Jingle Bell Rock, etc. I'm as much a fan of fun Christmas songs as the next person. I like Jingle Bells and Frosty and Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. But I am not a fan of poorly composed Christmas songs with stupid lyrics performed by some obnoxious singer on a synthesizer. I'd rather drink a gallon of eggnog (see #5). 

4. Santa Claus' new persona. Instead of being a figure of generosity, kindness, and goodwill, there are so many movies, books, songs, decorations, and commercials that paint Santa as a big, fat, bumbling idiot. Santa Claus with sunglasses and polka-dotted shorts playing a saxophone? Why would I want to believe in someone like that? That is not the Santa I grew up believing in, and if that's the image my boys are creating from the superficial commercialization they see everywhere, then I guess we won't be believing in Santa Claus for much longer.

5. Eggnog. I used to drink it because my family had special Christmas mugs to sip it from, but it's foul stuff, and I'm done with it.

Whew, that felt good, but do I have any friends left? Does anyone else agree with me? What are the things that make you say "Bah humbug"?

Christmas From Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber

One of my favorite moments from last Christmas was going to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert with my dad. Those few hours together were a rare treat, and we both came away feeling like we'd been given a special gift. I wish I could think of a way to describe what it's like to sit in such a magnificent building and be encompassed by glorious music, all while experiencing it with someone you dearly love.

For both of us, the most magical part of the evening was when guest narrator, Tom Brokaw, shared the story of Hal Halvorsen, a pilot who helped with the relief effort to Berlin following WWII.

This year, that narration has been turned into a picture book. When I saw the cover to it, I was beside myself. It is rather remarkable what the combination of an inspiring true story and beautiful illustrations will do to me. I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of the book from the publisher, and I eagerly checked the mail every day for two weeks in the hope that it had arrived.

My first time through it was with Aaron, and I could not keep my emotions down as I read him the story of how one small act transformed into something much bigger and impacted the lives of thousands of people . . .

When 27-year-old Hal Halvorsen began dropping flour and other supplies to the people of West Berlin, he was touched by the gratitude and optimism of the children in the face of such harsh circumstances. Following one landing, he wanted to give them something special, but he only had two sticks of gum. Afraid that he might cause a fight, he still went ahead and handed the measly two sticks to thirty children and watched in amazement as they tore the wrappers into thin strips and each took a turn sniffing the foreign and delicious smell.

That experience inspired Hal to ask some of his army buddies to donate the gum and chocolate from their rations to give to other children. They tied the treats to handkerchiefs, wiggled the wings of the plane as a signal, and let the treasures drop from the sky to the arms of the eagerly waiting children. Hal became known as the Candy Bomber, and before long, the operation caught the attention of many others, and donations began pouring in. The basic necessities had enabled survival, but the candy brought an even more needed hope.

This story is no less beautiful or inspiring as a picture book than it was as a large scale performance. The text, written by David T. Warner, is actually the same as what was so eloquently narrated by Tom Brokaw. It seems to work just as well for kids as it did for adults. It is factual but simple with plenty of interesting dialogue and asides.

The illustrations are wonderful. They are all done in muted, sepia tones, which lends an authentic feel to them. I especially like the depictions of Hal: with his ruddy cheeks and brilliant smile, it is easy to see why the children loved him so much, even before he started dropping candy.

But what I love even more than the illustrations are the real photographs that are scattered throughout. This really brought the story to life for Aaron. He could see what the actual planes looked like; he saw the real faces of children, some the same age as him; he looked at a photo of Hal with his arms full of parachutes. And he knew that this story wasn't made up. It really happened.

Included with this book is a DVD of this portion of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert. I watched it and was unprepared for the flood of memories that came back to me as I remembered what it was like to sit in that very hall and watch the parachutes float down from the ceiling and gasp when the curtain fell away to reveal the real 92-year-old Hal Halvorsen. I watched, and new tears streamed down my cheeks as the beauty and depth of the story again filled me with joy and hope.

I think another reason this story is so perfect is because it feels applicable. Hal's father always told him, "From little things come big things." Handing two sticks of gum through a barbed wire fence felt like a little thing. In fact, it was so little, Hal almost didn't do it. But that one small act grew and snowballed and ended up helping many, many children. This story is applicable not because I'm going to do the same things as Hal Halvorsen but because I can do small things too. I can give a present to the sweet crossing guard at Aaron's school or give a donation to the food bank or leave a surprise on someone's doorstep. I don't have to let the idea that my actions won't make a difference stop me from doing something.

I am so grateful to have this book as part of our Christmas collection. Every year, we will be able to take it out and be inspired anew by what Hal Halvorsen did. I really like this quote from the book: "Day by day, the parachutes brought peace and the candy renewed hope. The children made friends of their former enemies, and their parents' hearts were softened. The wounds of war began to heal." I think in a country so devastated by war, the physical necessities were obvious. But Hal realized there was something more he could do that would replenish life-saving hope. And he did it.

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If you would like more information about this book or are interested in purchasing it, you can visit Deseret Book.

I was generously given a hardback copy of this book from the publisher, but all opinions are entirely my own.

Biblical Names of Christ Ornament Set

Note: I was given a set of these ornaments to review, but all opinions and photographs are my own.

Yesterday we made the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas. We took down the turkeys and pilgrims and finally threw away the last of the pumpkins; we put up the tree, strung up the lights, and pulled out the advent calendar I made last year.

The excitement and joy of the season is rushing upon my kids, and they are bursting with even more energy than usual (is that even possible?!). As their little hands reached into the boxes to pull out ornaments and nativities, I caught myself sounding exactly like my mom: "Don't grab . . . wait for me to hand you something. Just wait your turn."

This year, I'm especially enjoying this banner Mike and I made from a set of ornaments I was given to review.

The ornaments have the Biblical names of Jesus Christ imprinted on them: Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Shepherd, etc. Each star is made from tin (or some other lightweight metal) with a pewter finish. I was expecting them to be heavier, but the lighter weight actually makes them much more versatile. (You could use them in so many other ways besides a banner: as gift tags, on a wreath, on a little tree, etc.)

At first, I was just going to hang them on our tree, but I was afraid they would get lost amid the beaded candy canes, salt dough stars, and other ornaments my kids insist on hanging up. Plus, I think they're really more powerful as a set. I love seeing so many of Christ's names together.

So I decided to make a banner.

We don't have a fireplace or mantel in our home, so I had to just string it up across the top of our bookshelves. But I really like the way it turned out.

Here's how I made it (with a lot of the grunt work being done by Mike):

Supplies:
Biblical Names of Christ Ornament set (can be purchased online here)
Floral wire
Two contrasting colors of one-inch ribbon
Cranberries (or any kind of trimming)

Step One: Measure the length of the area you want the banner to hang from. Cut the floral wire two feet longer than desired length to account for hanging and attaching the ornaments.

Step Two: Attach the ornaments by stringing the wire through the hole and then twisting the wire one or two times around the ornament so it won't slide or move.

Step Three: Temporarily string up the wire (with attached ornaments) and start twisting one-inch wide ribbon around it.

Step Four: Take the contrasting ribbon and twist it around the wire, going the opposite direction as the first ribbon.

Step Five: Poke short cranberry branches into the ribbon and attach with more floral wire.

Step Six: Hang up and enjoy the whole Christmas season. (How did we attach it? Um, see those stacks of books? Yeah, they're on top of the wire. Really professional, I know.)

If you walked into my living room right now, you would see our Christmas tree, eight different nativity sets, and this banner. We are not anti-Santa, reindeer, snowmen, etc., but I love that in this room, which is the heart of our home, the focus is clearly on the Savior. This new set of ornaments only adds to this theme, and I'm grateful for the tone they help set in our home. The set includes twelve ornaments with a scripture listed to go along with each one.

It's true that my kids are probably not going to look at this banner and think about how it reminds them of the Savior, but if I point to one of the stars and say, "Look boys, one of Christ's other names is Emmanuel. Let's read a scripture about that . . . " then their understanding and knowledge is increased and they understand a little more why our family loves Christmas so much.

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If you are interested in this ornament set, it can be purchased by clicking on this link: Biblical Names of Christ Ornament Set

(Just fyi, this is the only site online that carries these ornaments this season.)

KidPages: Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra

I wasn't as prompt this year with putting Thanksgiving books on hold at the library, and consequently, they'll all be coming in . . . next week. Sad! I'm pretty sure we'll be happily submerged in Christmas by then and Thanksgiving (at least the holiday, hopefully not the gratitude) will be the farthest things from our minds.

However, we did read one new Thanksgiving book that was such a treasure, I think it's worth mentioning today.

Sarah Gives Thanks is about Sarah Joseph Hale, a real woman who lived in New England in the 1800's. In 1822, her husband, David, died, leaving her to support their five children. 1822 didn't offer a lot of career opportunities for women, but Sarah had the gift of writing. Even before David's death, Sarah had had several of her poems published. So she turned to writing as a way to make a living. She sold short pieces and poems to ladies' magazines and eventually had a book of poetry as well as a novel published. In 1827, she was offered the job of "editress" of a new women's magazine.

At that time, Thanksgiving was not a national holiday. It was celebrated in some states (mostly in New England) but not on the same day. Sarah used her influence as an editor to push for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday. In 1849, she started writing an annual letter to the president of the United States asking for his help. She was ignored by four presidents, but finally, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln paid attention and declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday.

Thanksgiving books usually fall into two categories: Pilgrims/American Indians/First Thanksgiving or These Are the Things I'm Thankful For. I had no idea there was such a great Thanksgiving story hidden away in the 1800's. I love true stories. And I love it even more when I can share these true stories with my children in a way they can understand and enjoy.

It's crazy to think that without Sarah Hale, I might not be going to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner in an hour. There might not be seven pies scattered around my kitchen. I might not have a reason to pause and think about my blessings. What a travesty! It took Sarah thirty-six years of determined effort before her dream was realized. I'm so glad she didn't give up after thirty-five.

I love it when I find a story about a strong, opinionated, dedicated woman from our early history. Sarah couldn't vote or hold political positions, but she still could (and did!) make a difference. I'm grateful that women have more opportunities today than they did then, but I'm also so grateful that their lack of opportunities wasn't a reason to hold back women like Sarah Hale.

Early in the story, it mentions that since the Pilgrims settled in the northeast, Thanksgiving was mainly considered a New England holiday. I love the statement that follows: "But, to Sarah, Thanksgiving was not about the Pilgrims and the Indians and their famous feast. Thanksgiving was about what that feast meant. The holiday helped Sarah to look beyond her personal problems and appreciate what she had. That message could be of value to everyone, she thought, form North to South and everywhere in between."

I am grateful for Thanksgiving. I'm grateful that I can spend a special day remembering and thinking about and being grateful for my blessings. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday and that knowing about Sarah Hale helps you appreciate the day itself a little more!