Hands down, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. In fact, this is my favorite week of the entire year! I like how things just seem to slow down a little...sometimes a lot. I love the simple spirit of the holiday, the way it highlights family and beckons a heart of gratitude, joy, and peace.
Several years ago our family decided that we would spend every other Thanksgiving at Big Bend National Park. Some of my favorite holiday memories have been made on these trips, such as canoeing the Rio Grande River with my sister & her husband, mountain biking the Lajitas trails with my mom, exploring hidden "caves" with Tristan and his grammy, and following Eric's lead on hikes through the park as he accurately identifies each unique desert plant (lechugilla, sotol, chollas, candellila...).I have warm memories of preparing the evening meals with my aunt Daurice and cousin Bethany, of gathering at night for a family game of Taboo, and gazing up at a star studded Texas sky before going to bed. The first year we visited Big Bend we dressed in tank tops. Last year it snowed. Big Bend is a wonderful playground, full of surprises and ripe for adventure. It's the perfect place to reflect on God's goodness, the ideal setting for a Thanksgiving gathering of family and friends.
Father, thank you for the annual reminder of your faithfulness. Thank you for the opportunity to gather, to share a meal, to enjoy each other. Thank you for the desert, for Texas, for my family. Thank you for your abundant love.
View more of my Thanksgiving photos from Big Bend: http://www.reneeandcindy.com/bigbend.html
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