Refuge Farms (www.refugefarms.org)

Good morning! The Refuge Farms Blog is beginning a new tradition and I’m most excited! If you know us at all, you know we are big on traditions here, so first of all I’m excited about the creation of a new one…it makes me feel that we are creating something that will last long beyond today and tomorrow. Traditions are good. They create memories and that history thing. But more than anything, this new tradition will give others who are active in the Mission of THE FARM a chance to talk with you and discuss what they feel, what they fear, what makes them happy or sad or pensive or wishful. Our new tradition is a Guest Blog and today is our first!

And really, who more appropriate to publish our first Guest Blog than Vincent, our Webmaster Extraordinaire! Without this website, many of you would not have found us. And without Vincent, had you found us, you would not have been so impressed! “V”, as I call him, has become an integral part of our outreach and I treasure him more than I tell him, sadly.

So, I’m creating this lead-in and then giving the “pen” to V for his entry in the history of Refuge Farms. Happy reading and enjoy! And V, thanks to you – my cup runneth over with gratitude for your dedication and consistency and creative ability. Bless you, my man!

Enjoy the journey of each and every day in The Spirit of The Season,
Sandy and The Herd



You see, one of Santa’s elves came to me and told me how hard Sandy and The ‘Other’ Herd had worked at the “All U-Can Eat Breakfast at Applebee’s®,” that I decided to let them sleep late this morning. From what I hear…it was a wonderful success. Great food, Great people, and Big hearts…sounds like a perfect recipe for an exciting event. Since I only have a limited amount of space I will just issue ONE BIG THANK YOU!!! Without your generosity Refuge Farms would cease to exist.

Can you hear it? Can you feel it? I can even smell it all the way down here in New Orleans…it’s Christmastime. Christmas evokes so many feelings for so many people. Some are happy and some are sad. A lot has to do with the way we are brought up as children, the experiences we have faced in life and even what spiritual beliefs we might have.

I have always believed Christmas was mistletoe, presents around a Charlie Brown looking Christmas tree, snow, family, happiness, lots of good food and a belief that time must be set apart to remember the “real” meaning of Christmas. It’s funny sometimes to recognize how far we have traveled from the “ideal” Christmases of our childhood.

Sadly, someone changed the rules and forgot to tell me. Down here there use to be a celebration called “Christmas in the Oaks.” Thousands of lights and ornaments were hung in our public park and you could ride through at night and become a kid again…there was even hot chocolate and Santa for those who could persuade Santa they had been good that year. Now it is “Celebration in the Oaks”…a change post Katrina…NO! You see it’s not politically correct anymore to say “Christmas” in advertising, marketing, or anything related to the government.

Navity scenes have also been a casualty of this new politically correct thinking. I miss the good “old” days. The Coca-Cola® Santa smiling back at you with those big red cheeks and a twinkle in his eye. I don’t want a carb conscious Santa who is late because his Pilates™ class ran overtime. I want to see a Jolly Ole Saint Nick with “. . . a little round belly, that shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly.”  We can dream can’t we?

With all that has been said…we have all we need to make Christmas the best possible holiday for those around us…ourselves. It doesn’t take presents, the latest fashions, or toys that will break before New Year’s Eve comes around. Kindness, thoughtfulness and empathy. What better gifts can you give and share? It may be a cliché but look at those around you. We are living in very difficult times. Often we tend to focus on people in other countries or on situations, however tragic, where there is very little chance we can ever make an impact. A solution could be right next-door. Think about your neighbors, your friends, people you pass in the grocery…Christmas is a rough time of year for everyone. Hold the door open for someone, buy a cup of coffee for someone, wish a perfect stranger a “Merry Christmas”…you may get a smile or you may get a frown – but that person knows, at least for that second, someone cared enough to wish them well.

Christmas is a time to reaffirm (or establish) beliefs and be respectful of other’s beliefs. A time to try and get back on track to what should be important. Believe in something and hold true to the values that have made us a great nation. We may not all have the same political or spiritual beliefs but we have to live together…as a city, as a state, as a country, and as a world. I think it is important to keep Christ in Christmas but that doesn’t mean that non-Christians can’t participate in the celebrations. It is the goodness and kindness that comes from within that makes Christmas the special time that it is.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas…

Vincent - Webmaster