I am thankful I can walk;
there are those who have never taken their first step.

I am thankful I can see the beauty all around me;
there are those whose world is always dark.

I am thankful I can hear music playing;
there are those who entire life has been spent in silence.

I am thankful my heart can be broken;
there are those who are so hardened they cannot be touched.

I am thankful I can move about freely and express my beliefs;
there are those who live in constant fear.

I am thankful I have been loved;
there are those for whom no one has ever cared.

I am thankful I can work;
there are those who have to depend on others for even their most basic needs.

I am thankful to wake up in the morning and take a deep breath of fresh air;
there are those who never got that far.

I am thankful for the opportunity to help others;
there are those who have not been so abundantly blessed as I.

I am thankful for the gifts of friendship and love;
there are people like YOU I am blessed to have in my life.

  "Canadian Thanksgiving Day" 

~Celebrated on the Second Monday in October~
~Canadian Thanksgiving Day is Monday October 13th, 2003~
~Canadian Thanksgiving Day is Monday October 11th, 2004~

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
~1 Thessalonians 5:18~

When does Canada celebrate Thanksgiving?
Encarta says: "It was formerly celebrated on the last Monday in October. But in 1957, the Canadian government proclaimed the second Monday in October to be the holiday."
Comptons: "A national Thanksgiving Day was first proclaimed in Canada in 1879. After
World War I it was merged with Armistice Day for a time. In 1931 the two were made separate holidays, and the second Monday in October was proclaimed Thanksgiving Day."

How is Canadian Thanksgiving Celebrated?
Encarta says: "Thanksgiving Day in Canada is celebrated in much the same way as in the United States."

What is the History of the holiday?
Comptons says: "The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada was observed at Port Royal, N.S., in 1710, when the town and fort passed into English hands for the last time. In 1760 a day of thanksgiving at Halifax marked the victory of General Jeffrey Amherst's troops at Montreal.

These early thanksgiving days were held at various times, usually to celebrate military victories or the birth of royal children. The Scottish settlers of Nova Scotia emphasized the religious aspect of a day of thanksgiving. Halifax in 1762 was the first community to give thanks for a bountiful harvest."

Why is the Canadian Thanksgiving earlier then in the US?
Encarta says: "Thanksgiving is also a legal holiday in Canada. Because Canada is north of the United States, its harvest comes earlier in the year. Accordingly, the Thanksgiving holiday falls earlier in Canada than in the United States. The Canadian Parliament set aside November 6 for annual Thanksgiving observances in 1879. In 1957 the date was shifted to an even earlier day, to the second Monday in October."

Canadian Thanksgiving Day is on October 13th, 2003
American Thanksgiving is Celebrated November 27th,