If you read yesterday's post, then you know that me and Jeff have been spending quite a bit of time in the mountains playing in the snow. I love, love, love mountains and skiing and winter recreation. I didn't know how much I enjoy being in the mountains until I moved to Wyoming back in 2007. It was like I had found something I didn't know I was missing my whole life! Since moving to Wyo back about seven years ago, I have more or less stayed in close range (har har har!) to the mountains, which is something I am thankful for. It is exciting to drive West from our house, seeing the Rocky Mountain Front stretching from north to south along the length of the horizon, with it's promise of adventure and excitement tucked into the peaks and valleys.
But today's Thankful Thursday post is actually more about the feeling of coming down from the mountains and back to the prairie. It's the feeling of coming home. As much as I do love mountains and am so thankful to live within three hours of the Front, I also love the comforting, peaceful feeling of descending down from the mountains, back to the prairie that is now my home. Driving back East from the mountains, when the plains open up with their blanket of greeting, I know I'm going back to my place in the world.
One of the best things about living on the plains, especially in a rural area, is that you have complete, unadulterated skyline views. Views of vast skies and storylines of clouds and weather unfold before us every day. Out here, you can truly see why Montana has the nickname of Big Sky State. The day we drove back from our trip to Glacier, I took Harvey for a walk and the beauty of the sky over the plains unfolded...
 |
| Sweetgrass Hills and Goldstone Church in silhouette. |
 |
| Beautiful sky colors as the sun sets. |
 |
| This is the "back of the sunset," or the colors reflecting on the East side of the sky. Don't forget to turn around next time you are watching the sunset! |
One other thing that's on my mind today, pertaining to gratitude and Thankful Thursdays, is the following quote I came upon recently:
"I am in charge of how I choose to react to what life throws at me. I can't choose when my moments will happen. Gratitude is the most powerful force for healing. People are more inspired to live well by truth than fiction. Truth is fluid because we are fluid." - Lauren Fleshman, elite runner.
Lauren Fleshman is an elite runner that I follow on Instagram and other means of social media. She is super inspiring, hard working, and a great leader. I find a lot of tidbits in her blog that I transfer to my own running and coaching experience. Love her. I connected with that line "Gratitude is the most powerful force for healing," and thought it was especially pertinent in a Thankful Thursday post!
Lastly, today I'd like to announce an informal giveaway I'm doing here for my blog readers. I had a couple sheets of the stickers pictured below printed off and I'd like to share some of them with you!
To win, just share something you are thankful or grateful for, and why, and you'll be entered in the drawing for a sheet of stickers. You can leave your comment here on the blog, or email it to me, or in the comments section for this post on Facebook (I know some of you have a hard time leaving comments here on the blog, so I'm trying to accommodate you.) You have until next Thursday's Thankful Thursday post to leave your comment. I'll announce the winner in next week's post, and share some of the things you are all thankful for, too! Most of my readership is someone I know personally, so if it happens that you win and I don't already have your address, we'll figure out a way to get that safely so I can send you the stickers. :)
Just to recap, here's some questions you could think about answering in order to be entered in the drawing:
1) What is something you are particularly thankful for, and why.
2) What is something you could be more positive about?
3) When has Gratitude helped you heal?
Thanks everyone for reading, whether you participate in the drawing or not! Have a great week!
I am so thankful for my life. out of the billiions here on this planet.. I got to live here in Montana and be part of the 2% that feeds the rest. I get to live in God's country the most beautiful place in the world and have it for a backyard. I get to raise my two healthy, smart, wonderful children here and I have a job where I only have to work three times a week. I was blessed with a big messy family that would do anything for each other. yep.. blessed and grateful
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment! You are right, you really do have a great life! There's so much to be thankful for if a person just looks around a little. :)
DeleteGuess what I just got registered for!! My sister and I are both going to ... did you guess Chico?! I see you are a speaker, yay so fun!
ReplyDeleteYay! I am really excited for the conference and looking forward to meeting you and your sister! Also, it looks like you might be the only person to comment on my Thankful Thursday post, so you'll probably win the stickers. I can just give them to you at the conference, in that case. :)
Delete