Upcoming Long Weekend and Gratitude

Many countries in the Americas and Spain celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, which happened on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday. The landing is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, which will be observed Monday, October 14th this year (2013). It is also the Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

According to Wikipedia, Canadian Thanksgiving coincides with the U.S. observance of Columbus Day since the United States implemented the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971 (most countries in the Western Hemisphere fix Columbus Day to October 12). As it is, U.S. towns with high amounts of Canadian tourism will often hold their fall festivals over Thanksgiving/Columbus Day weekend in part to draw and accommodate Canadian tourists.

This leads me to my next topic: gratitude. a state of being appreciative or thankful.

This is a wonderful time of the year to start counting blessings and expressing gratitude. After the long weekend, starting Tuesday, October 15, between Columbus Day and the U.S. Thanksgiving Day (November 28), I intend to write daily (Monday – Friday) about all the things for which I feel grateful. That is 32 blessings I will count, appreciate, and share with you between the 2 holidays.

This is my opportunity to publicly open my grateful heart and share with everyone the top 32 things I am most grateful, the blessings in my life I most appreciate. I hope you will join me by either keeping a private journal or publicly sharing on your blog, on Facebook, Twitter or in the comment section below. Let us be thankful together. And, as a bonus challenge, let us go out and say thank you to at least 32 different people in the next few weeks. And, please feel free to share your experiences.

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?”  ~William A. Ward

Related articles

• Canadian Thanksgiving, a history (wiredwednesdays.wordpress.com)