Prairie Restoration Sun, 30th November, 2014
After an exhausting day of preparing the traditional Thanksgiving feast, my family and I treated ourselves to some peace and tranquility. The beautiful walk on the golden prairie at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Mo. was just the type of restoration I needed.
The gentle wind in our ears, birdsong, and the occasional squish or snap of footsteps on the soft earth were all we could hear—except for the moments of playful conversation, which were equally delightful. There was even some snowball throwing as the kids discovered a thin patch of snow that had somehow escaped the warming rays of the sun that afternoon.
Our days walking together as a family are numbered, as we contemplate our first-born leaving the nest within the next year. Although we hope he will always return for Thanksgiving, it will never be quite the same as when he is still living among us in his childhood home. But perhaps our new tradition can be a walk on the prairie each Friday after Thanksgiving, to restore our connection to each other and to renew our gratitude for the bountiful earth that sustains both body and spirit. Not Black Friday, but Golden Friday.
I hope you enjoy the photos here and that they are able, in some small way, to convey the sense of peace and connectedness that we all crave after a busy holiday.
After an exhausting day of preparing the traditional Thanksgiving feast, my family and I treated ourselves to some peace and tranquility. The beautiful walk on the golden prairie at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Mo. was just the type of restoration I needed.
The gentle wind in our ears, birdsong, and the occasional squish or snap of footsteps on the soft earth were all we could hear—except for the moments of playful conversation, which were equally delightful. There was even some snowball throwing as the kids discovered a thin patch of snow that had somehow escaped the warming rays of the sun that afternoon.
Our days walking together as a family are numbered, as we contemplate our first-born leaving the nest within the next year. Although we hope he will always return for Thanksgiving, it will never be quite the same as when he is still living among us in his childhood home. But perhaps our new tradition can be a walk on the prairie each Friday after Thanksgiving, to restore our connection to each other and to renew our gratitude for the bountiful earth that sustains both body and spirit. Not Black Friday, but Golden Friday.
I hope you enjoy the photos here and that they are able, in some small way, to convey the sense of peace and connectedness that we all crave after a busy holiday.