Gratitude for my Montana Roots and Sprouts and More

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest. William Blake

In this time of thanksgiving, I am ever grateful for having roots firmly planted in Montana, personally and professionally. Personally, it has been an incredible place to raise adventuresome children and to spend time wandering the mountains and plains.

Professionally, my Montana friends and colleagues have made it possible for me to be a 'frontier' dietitian. Like our famous big skies, their open minds and "give it a whirl" attitudes have allowed me to sprout and grow positive, inclusive, comprehensive approaches to nutrition and well-being. With solid good humor, they have often allowed me to be a Rebellious, as well as Registered, dietitian.

A recent comment on a blog, by a Georgia colleague, Chris Rosenbloom, keeps running through my head ... "it was a nice reminder that food is more than the sum of its nutrients." I sincerely appreciate all those who work together on our Eat Right Montana's Healthy Families Newsletters - 12 years and going strong - where nutrition has always been about more than nutrients and numbers: It is about food, flavor, friends, and families cooking and eating together. And physical activity is about more than heart rate and risk reduction: It is about fun ways to see Montana in all its outdoor wonder and about families playing and working together.

Thank you for all your support and friendship.

No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise ... acknowledge this help with gratitude. Alfred North Whitehead