Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley

If I had to choose a favorite holiday, it would be Thanksgiving. Each year, my mother’s family would gather at Granny’s farm for the big day. Somehow Granny would have cooked an amazing meal for more than 50. Tackle football, walks with favorite cousins, eating way too much food, then happy exhaustion at day’s end — it was the perfect homecoming.

I’ve taken up hosting duties since Granny’s passing but thank goodness my relatives pitch in to feed the masses. The beauty of Thanksgiving is that everyone does their best to show up and break bread together. They all come back for the camaraderie, the retelling of family tales, and to celebrate what binds us, not what tears us apart. That’s what family does.

A few weeks ago, MDC celebrated a homecoming of sorts with our partners — from agricultural groups to local governments to educational partners — some from nearby, others from counties away. More than 100 partners came together to talk about what we have in common, which is a strong desire to take care of nature and connect Missourians to it. We each have a different role in making it happen, but we focused on the connection points and celebrated those together. You’ll see more examples of partners furthering conservation efforts in two articles this month on Pages 10 and 22.

So, happy Thanksgiving, conservation family! Thank you for showing up and bringing what you have to the table to further conservation in Missouri. After all, that’s what family does.

Sara Parker Pauley, Director