October Thanksgiving Challenge

I'm embarking on a new monthly challenge for the month of October.

After only encountering moderate success in my September challenge (I missed a few posts, not for lack of writing but because I lacked the courage to post what I had a written...I'm working on bringing those back up in the future, when I feel braver and more comfortable in my 'writer's skin'), I am ready to tackle the month of October with a renewed sense of positivity and humility.

October, being the month of Thanksgiving, has always been a time of love, family and friendship in my life.  Many of my dearest friends have their birthdays in October, including my brother, and I feel that it perfectly sets the tone for the Christmas season which is soon to fall upon us...(But not TOO SOON, Walmart...!)

Kevin Olenik, a Calgary-based blogger that I recently started following threw out this question to his readers last week: "Agree or Disagree: People Need To Say Thank You More". This post really struck a chord with me, as I have spent a great deal of time lately reflecting on the many blessings and joys in my life.  In this post, Kevin challenged himself to a "31 Days of Thankfulness" challenge, during which he will write a post of 'thanks' a day for the entire month of October.  After a particularly stressful September, I have decided to join him on this journey of gratefulness.

So today's post, my first of this challenge is a Thank You to Kevin, for the inspiration to start this journey as well and for having the courage to stand up and say that we all could use a little more Thank You in our lives.

This is post is part of the October Thanksgiving Challenge. I will post a new Thank You blog post every day during the month of October. I encourage you to follow Kevin, the mastermind of this challenge at www.kevinolenick.wordpress.com and to consider doing your own challenge, big or small, to remind yourself to focus on the many blessings in your life.  I've also added a slight 'writing' component to this month's challenge: No posts are to exceed 500 words.