When did I first realize that my dream was to open up a rehabilitation ranch to help people heal? The day that I realized what God had given me a passion for was the same day I started volunteering at Quantum Leap Farm (QLF). Here is an old look as a creative story I wrote about QLF:
"In life most people find the most peace in one particular place. A place of solitude and rest. A place where all worries and concerns die. A place where dreams become a reality.
My place of solitude is the barn on Woodstock Road. This barn does not just refer to a wooden house-like structure for animals, but to a place consisting of the sounds and smells of God's exquisite masterpiece.
Early on Saturday mornings I awake, get dressed in my "barn-savvy" clothes, and make my way down the narrow Woodstock Road to my sanctuary-the barn. After I park my car, I step out onto the crisp, dew-covered grass and I am greeted by Woody, whose curly attire resembles a grandpa's beard; Droopy whose ears are the "droopiest" I know; and the large and in charge Double 07-classic barn yard dogs. Walking up to the gate, awaiting my oasis, I smell the aroma of the sweet, freshly-cut hay. As I slowly open the gate I am bombarded by two psychotic billy goats named Nelly and Tilly. They frisk me down looking for food and then leave, awaiting their next victim. Then, I stop, look and listen. I look at the elegant creatures gracefully grazing over the intricately designed pastures. I listen to the sounds of the horses whinnying and the locusts chirping, all in bliss. Immediately I am at peace-a peace that surpasses understanding. For I am among God's creation and thriving in His blessings.
Behind me, the wooden barn stands tall. It silently waits for my grand entrance. knowing that my appearance symbolizes the hard work another day brings. Stalls, filled with a variety of horse excrement, day-old hay, and sweet feed mixed with oats, stand stagnant ready to be unsullied. Half-full water buckets hang motionless in each stall hoping to be cleaned so that they may fulfill their simple, yet important jobs.
In the distance I hear the badgering of the roosters. Peering around, waiting to catch a glimpse of them with my eyes, I see them flamboyantly strutting through one pasture to the next pasture in an attempt to escape Woody's jaws of terror.
The soft faces of my equine friends have anticipated my return so that we may once again share sweet times, which will soon turn into memories. As I passively walk them into their home-my sanctuary-they each give me a nudge on the shoulder as if saying, "We missed you." I am comforted by their warmth and enthralled by their friendship.
I feel no worries. I feel none of life's agonizing hurts. I am just in simple awe of God's stunning work of genius-the barn on Woodstock Road."
Can you see why I want to use horses? Why I want a ranch to be the place setting for healing? God used those horses and animals in my life in amazing ways.
That's why I became EAGALA certified. Wait for my next blog and I will tell you the story of that and how it plays a huge role in "Mt. Moriah: Horses, Surrender, and Healing"
