Thankful Thursday ~ Pride of Place CALL FOR PHOTOS!

Today's Thankful Thursday post will include a Call for Photography! I'll be asking my readers to submit some photos that will be included in a future Thankful Thursday post. Details will be at the bottom of today's post! Keep reading to learn more!


'Tis the season at work for audits. 

This time of year, an auditor from the State named Beal travels around all over Montana and checks out all the programs that do what we do to make sure we're doing what we do correctly. Some people seem to be intimidated by Beal, but I don't get why. As soon as he got here, I greeted him with a handshake and a friendly hello. My coworker had described him as "an aged Hippie," and the description was apt. That's exactly how he looked and acted. It worked out great for me because I love Hippies and I get along just fine with people like that. In fact, Beal reminded me quite a bit of Jeff's Uncle Dennis, which is a person I greatly enjoy speaking with. He was pretty low-key.  Thorough in our audit (which we passed with flying colors) but low-key and friendly.

As Beal was wrapping up our audit, I continued making genial small talk and stated, "You must do a lot of driving for your job. I bet you see a lot of country."

Beal looked me in the eye and without flinching or blinking said, "Yes, I do, but I love the Hi-Line the best." 

He went on to describe that he really loved the drama of the landscapes-- flat land interrupted by island mountain chains such as the Bearpaws and the Sweetgrass Hills. He loved the Milk River and how it cut dramatically through the Northern Plains. I told him about how our farm is about dead-level to the east of the Sweetgrass Hills and just south of where the Milk crosses from Canada into the U.S. He said, "It must be a pretty beautiful spot, ideally situated." and I agreed that it was.

Then he went on to say that what he loved just as much as the land here is the way of life. He said, "You go to places like Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula and they've become so modern and busy. But here it's not so modern and it feels more like the way Montana is supposed to be." He had a great sense of nostalgia for the Montana of his boyhood, the Montana that he still finds when he's on the Hi-Line.

Beal's words really struck me. I reflected on my first visits to the Hi-Line and how completely different it was from all the places in which I had previously lived or spent significant time. You see, I had only ever lived in places that I think Beal would describe as "modern." I grew up in a college town, spent time in some of the largest cities in the world, then moved to a tourist trap and then back to another college town before moving up north. I was used to a "modern" way of life. In fact, the first time Jeff took me to Havre, I cried. 

Now, that should tell you a lot about me. I can now own up to myself and say that I think I used to be a lot more superficial.  I was so used to living in cities and towns that had all the amenities that that's what I thought I needed to be happy. I struggled to find value in the people and the connections made and community which I now find so indispensable. When I first moved here, I felt mostly a sense of isolation. Now, I feel a solitude and a peace that comes from having pride of place and community. It has taken time for me and humbling growth, but I'm here now. Now, I'm thankful to be here. I'm thankful for my home on the Hi-Line.

If you've made it through reading all of that, I commend you. Now comes the fun part, and the challenge. Typically, at the end of each Thankful Thursday post, I ask a general question: What are you thankful for this week? Well, this week we're going to do things a little bit differently. You have homework. And, instead of asking you WHAT you're thankful for, I'd like to know WHERE you're thankful for. The places you love. READ ON!

I am asking for everyone who reads this to submit at least one photo of a place that you love and are thankful for. It doesn't have to be your home, but it could be. It could be anywhere. I prefer that it is a photo that you, yourself has taken. This is not a contest, so don't worry about image quality. In fact, sometimes the "worst" photos are the best images. Please, if you can, submit the photo to me in one of the ways I'll outline below, and include a caption stating where the photo was taken and why you are thankful for that place. In two weeks, I'll post all the photos I've received for that week's Thankful Thursday post. (I already have something planned for next week, so that's why you have a lengthy two-week deadline!)

Here's how you can submit:
1) You can email your photos to me at: kra1984montana@yahoo.com (or any other email address you may already have for me).
2) You may post your photo on Facebook and tag me.
3) You can send it to me as a picture text if you have my phone number.
4) You can use Instagram and tag me at @katie.r.bangs
Remember to include a caption of where the place is and why you love it! 
Deadline will be Wednesday, April 19. 

Can't wait to see all the places you love and are thankful for!