A Special Thank You

26 Nov A Special Thank You

If you’re like me, you get more and more Thank You messages about this time each year from clients, merchants, and nonprofit organizations. And if you’re like me, you probably send a few, too.

Most are nice, but very vanilla:

• “Thank you for all you do to help protect special places and grow healthy communities. We are stronger together.”
• “At this time of year, we pause from our daily tasks to give thanks for the opportunity to work in such a special place with strong support from people like you. Thank you.”
• And from Rand Wentworth at LTA: “At this time of thanksgiving, all of us at the Land Trust Alliance want to thank you for your dedication to the land. Because of you, a strong network of land trusts in all corners of the country is succeeding in conserving the places that give meaning to our lives. Thank you.”

So when I received the following message from Ben Lenth and Kristie Nackord at the San Isabel Land Protection Trust in Westcliffe, Colorado, it blew me away. I knew right away I wanted to share it. Somehow, by taking a little extra time with the writing, by seeing this exercise as more than a chore to get done on schedule, they managed to capture why we are all here, doing the work we do, and why we are commonly grateful.

Thank YOU San Isabel, for this gift.

Courtesy of San Isabel Land Protection Trust

A SEASON OF GRATITUDE

This season we at San Isabel Land Protection Trust give thanks,

and offer gratitude for the many gifts we have.

We are grateful for the changing of seasons, for the coming snows.

Grateful to the farmers and ranchers who provide us with our abundant feasts.

Grateful to live in a place with clean air and water, where wildlife migrates effortlessly

through the mountains and valleys of our region, and the spirit of the land is vibrant.

Grateful to Colorado, our home, and to these Rocky Mountains, our inspiration.

To our elders who have come before us, and to the youth who will inherit it all.

And we give thanks to each and every one of you, our neighbors and friends,

who share kindness and care, and work with us to preserve and heal

our connection with the land.

With appreciation~ HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments

when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

— Thornton Wilder

You can view this message from San Isabel Land Protection Trust in its original format at: https://www.sanisabel.org/blog/item/106-a-season-of-gratitude.

Photo credit: Pronghorn Antelope by Preservation Photography.