Dear Montana,

When I sit and think about people and experiences that have shaped me into the person I have become, a lot of things come to mind including my friends and my family, but something that I often overlook is the fact that I grew up in the most beautiful place on the planet. It is you, Montana.

I look back at my past and so much has changed, but the one thing that has remained constant is you. As a kid, I made mud-pies on the banks of your rivers and buried my favorite dog in your ground. As a teenager, I drove your roads late at night with my friends and I cried under your skies the first time my heart got broken. Now as I enter adulthood, I often flee to your mountains for therapy and guidance. Your serenity, beauty and timelessness has forever changed my life in ways that I will never understand.

I hope you are not offended by my next statement but I love to travel; I love to see new places and people. However, I was recently reading a book called Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. It is an account of his own adventures as he travels across the United States an I believe it clearly and accurately captures my feelings about you. "The next passage of my journey is a love affair. I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love, and it is difficult to analyze love when you are in it." Although I love to leave you Montana, I feel stronger about coming home.

In the same chapter Steinbeck states " The calm of the mountains and the rolling grasslands had got into the inhabitants." All people from Montana, reflect her nature. They may seemed dry, tough and callused but a closer look will reveal hidden oases, if you know where to look. The people here are neighborly but also secretive. They will help you change a tire but don't try to find out where their favorite fishing holes are. Incredibly wholesome and incredibly loyal, these are the traits you find here. These are many of the people I have come to love and who have come to love me. They have shaped me and you have shaped them.

Montana, you have lead me down a path that I would have never found had I lived somewhere else. You have supplied me with family and friends that reflect your best qualities and you have provided me with a true understanding of beauty. Thank you Montana, thank you.

Because of all your amazing qualities, you have many names. Some call you Big Sky Country, the Treasure State or the Last Best Place. I call you home.

With Love,

-A grateful inhabitant