Welcome! I am a contemplative thinker and photographer from Colorado. In this blog, you'll discover photographs that I've taken on my hiking and backpacking trips, mostly in the American West. I've paired these with my favorite inspirational and philosophical quotes - literary passages that emphasize the innate spirituality of the natural world. I hope you enjoy them!

If you'd like to purchase photo-quote greeting cards, please go to www.NaturePhoto-QuoteCards.com .


In the Spirit of Wildness,

Stephen Hatch
Fort Collins, Colorado

P.S. There's a label index at the bottom of the blog.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

In Offering Thanks, We Give Ourselves, and That is a Greater Gift Than the Original Present


"The interdependence of gratefulness is truly mutual.  The receiver of the gift depends on the giver.  Obviously so.  But the circle of gratefulness is incomplete until the giver of the gift becomes the receiver: a receiver of thanks. When we give thanks, we give something greater than the gift we received, whatever it was.  The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving.  In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves."

David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine Monk

Photo: Reflections in Lost Lake at sunrise, Kebler Pass, near Crested Butte, CO, October 1, 2011

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