Each year I look forward to the cooler days of autumn, the beauty of the changing leaves, and the smell of freshly baked pumpkin pie. But I particularly love the week of Thanksgiving because it heralds the start of the holiday season and provides the opportunity to spend more time with loved ones laughing, eating, and enjoying the great outdoors. I’m blessed where I live in Northern Kentucky. Our small acreage has become a favorite gathering place for family walks, talks, and nature exploration. The large pond which borders one side of our home is active year-round with birds, fish, muskrats, beavers, deer, and raccoons, and the trees and bushes which Marty and I planted three years ago are now the homes and refuges of countless critters.
Even though I write about the health benefits of nature and work as a planetary health conservationist, I am continually struck by how the power of nature affects me. After taking a walk in my garden or exploring a new trail, listening to bird songs and the rustling of leaves in the wind, viewing an artists’ palette of colors in changing leaves, or watching water meander around the rocks and bends of a stream, I feel happy and relaxed, as my spiritual and creative batteries recharge. But most of all, I feel thankful for the incredible miracle of nature which surrounds and nourishes us all.
This Thanksgiving, please take a moment to give thanks to all those who bless your life and for all the blessings in your life. Make time to go outside with family and friends – to play, walk, talk, run, and breathe in the glory of nature.
Happy Thanksgiving!
