Kim McMahill

  Here are the holidays and a few other days to note in October.   October 1- International Day for the Elderly and World Smile Day October 3 - Oktoberfest ends in Germany October 11 - Columbus Day, Indigenous People Day, and Thanksgiving Day in Canada October 15 - Boss's Day  October 16 - Sweetest Day October 23 - Make a Difference Day  October 24 - United Nations Day October 31 - Halloween

The Merriam Webster definition of fiction is, “ something invented by the imagination or feigned;   specifically :  an invented story.” To me this means that fiction is limited only by the author’s imagination. As long as the story conveys its intended message or in the case of my romantic suspense and adventure novels, entertains the reader, almost anything goes. One of my favorite movies is, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty . This story is riddled with implausible and unrealistic scenes, but to me it doesn’t matter—it makes me laugh, it makes me smile, it reminds me to live life, just don’t sit around and dream about what’s out there. So, the next time you pick up a novel go all in. Don’t worry about if something can really happen, just relax your mind and let yourself be entertained.

September 21 is designated as International Peace Day. It was created by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly in 1981. This day is dedicated to establishing and promoting World peace, and is celebrated by countries around the world. It often seems that international peace is an impossible goal, but I hope that on this day the world can pause for a moment and consider how wonderful the prospect could be and ponder how we can achieve such a lofty goal.

On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Congress of the United States of America held its final meeting to sign the Constitution of the United States of America. After the meeting, individual states still had to meet and vote on it. The U.S. Constitution did not go into effect until two years later on March 4, 1789. So, September 17 of each year is recognized as Constitution Day.

“Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it...”  Wilferd Peterson

I recently had the opportunity to visit Iceland. This stunning country is blessed with so much natural beauty. We started in Reykjavik, which is the capitol and largest city in the country, and spent several days exploring the city. Outside of Reykjavik, we visited the magnificent Gullfoss Falls, a thermal area with steaming pools and erupting geyser, and stood in the gap of two diverging tectonic plates.   From Reykjavik, circumvented this island nation. Each part of the country was beautiful and held its own special treasures, but one of our favorites was the northern coast, specifically, the town of Akureyri. This charming town provided a convenient jumping off point to visit the stunning Goðafoss Falls and the well preserved Laufas Turf Houses. The town itself was a gem. It had a pedestrian street lined with quaint shops, a stunning church, amazing botanical gardens, and great views of the fjord.   We feel very fortunate to have been able to take this trip during such an u

This month recognizes some important moments in our history and important people in our lives, grandparents. Here are those special days.   September 2 - VJ Day, WWII September 6 - Labor Day September 11 - 911 Remembrance September 12 - Grandparents Day September 17 - Constitution Day September 21 - International Peace Day (UN) September 22 - Autumnal Equinox