Refuge Farms (www.refugefarms.org)

T - The bottom line to our existence is what we do with and how we spend our precious TIME. Never having enough time. Always running out of time. And wishing for more time. Maybe, just maybe, our lives would be richer and we would be happier if we simply made better use of our time. If we spent time enjoying our time. Treasuring and manifesting each second of time.

H - Once a HEARTBEAT begins, it arrives, does the job it was intended to do, and then moves on - never to return again. As Andy told me, "You can never get a heartbeat back, Sandy. Enjoy every one. Once a heartbeat is spent it is gone forever." Physically concentrating and feeling your heartbeat gives you a sense of living. Spend each heartbeat wisely for they are far more precious than gold.

A - We waste our time and our heartbeats on ANGER. Each and every day, I pray to be more like the horses who know nothing of anger. They know nothing of forgiveness since they hold no anger or grudge to anything or anyone and so have nothing in their hearts to forgive! They live today. Right now. In this very second. How remarkable and righteous to be a horse and live without anger. How much the world would improve if we could just be more like the horses.

N - One word, I was taught, that one does not want to use is NEVER since we do not know the future and so to say never is asking for the unexpected to occur. However, I can honestly say that at this age, I never expected to be working 2.5 full-time jobs with 22 horses as my family and entire herds needed the assistance of this organization. Never did I imagine that I would never retire. However, I am not complaining! Only marveling at how my life has transpired. Truly, I would have it no other way. I never planned my life to take these turns. Never planned to operate a horse rescue and sanctuary for the diers. But then . . . I guess I didn't ask God what He had planned, now did I?

K - Every morning I take the time to get a KISS. No matter the weather and no matter how behind I am and no matter how worried I am. I look for the horse that is waiting for me and I hug that horse. It seems they confer and take turns at who will be the giver on any particular morning. Just like clockwork, I get the kiss of that day's chosen horse. Sometimes with a hug, too! But it is the kiss that is my daily dose of medicine. My daily dose of endurance and encouragement. My very soul hungers for the kiss and these horses never fail me.

S - The world sometimes seems so tipsy and out of balance and just plain crazy! The news only causes worry and stress in my gut. I see people fighting themselves and each other only to see that the issue they were fighting over really are insignificant. My medicine and my remedy is found in the barns. Inside the walls of those barns stands my medicine. The horses. Those creatures that try so valiantly to teach us of acceptance and order and tolerance. Of peace and companionship and respect. Those SOLID and reliable horses. Oh, to be more like the horse every single day! To receive the compliment that I am a solid person!

G - It is the holiday season - the season of celebrations. We give gifts at this time of year. Sometimes the gifts are funny or prank. Sometimes they are plain because we are busy or dislike the crowds or just don't know what to give! My favorite gift is very simple - it is a hug. A genuine, heartfelt, arm-wrapping hug. Not a polite hug but an invading hug. A hug that invites you to hang on and rest for a second. Let someone else hold you up for just a few seconds. A hug that lets you know there is genuine caring involved. The best gift is not a gift at all because each time a hug like this happens, the gift giver gets just as much as the gift receiver. Give the GIFT of a hug today.

I - My insides are a barometer and after all these years, I am only now beginning to listen to my INSIDES. I used to fight them and ignore them. Go on with my plan regardless of what my insides were telling me. But life with the horses has taught me to listen to my insides. Respect my intuitions. And react to what my instincts are telling me regardless of what it may appear to be. Good lessons learned from these horses. Listening to the insides and your conscience. Your instincts. Your heart.

V - My passion is the horse. Rescuing and supporting and assisting the horses that others think are useless and simply not worth it. The diers. The horses that even the other rescues do not want. I become their VOICE and together we show you, if you are willing to look and listen, that even the worst of them all are the most beautiful. The potential in every living creature is limited only by what you are willing to learn from them. Their voice is strong and brilliant and clear and so vibrant! All it takes is for a moment of silence for you to hear it. The voice of the knowing ones.

I - In this world of rescue, there is no I. No one person can perform the acts of rescue alone. There are complete support systems in place and without those systems, not one creature is rescued. Theses systems sort paperwork. Empty a ton (literally!) of feed. Pick poop. Repair fence. Tape newsletters. Sell tickets. Wash donations. Move boxes again and again. Without these efforts, not one horse is rescued. But with them nothing is impossible! I am thankful for being a part of a remarkable machine called Refuge Farms, Inc.

N - We make meaningful promises to these horses when they come into our barns. Promises that mean hard work, financial sacrifice, and consistent energy. These promises require you to give of yourself and adopt them - not as a hobby but as a way of life. When all seems lost, NOTHING is allowed to prohibit us from keeping our promises to them. Not public opinion. Not the lack of funds. Not the tired bodies. And not the lack of hope. We find a way. We keep our promises. Nothing keeps us from what it is that we are intended to do - rescue the diers. Hard work. Tons of tears. Humans disagreeing. But the path shown clearly what it is that we must do and so we persevere. Letting nothing come between us and their needs.

G - As we quickly reach the 1,000th life saved, I will share my vision with you. It is a vision that I call upon when I am too tired to walk. Too tired to sleep. And too sore to move. I find the strength and the will to continue by imagining this:

It is a sunny spring day. There is a light breeze and I feel the sunshine on my face. I am walking - pain free! - in a meadow of knee high grasses sweet to the taste. I am alone but happy. Birds are singing all around me. There is joy in the air. I am smiling. And moving forward. In front of me is a big wooden bridge. It has an arch in it and so I trek up to the top of the bridge and then look forward. There, standing before me in the grassy meadow on the other side of the bridge are GIFTS. Over 1,000 of them. Jerry. Laddee. Ima. Halima. Ruby. Big Jim. Duker. Miss Bonita. RedMan. Richard. Addie-Girl. Lady-the-Dog. Hannah. Joseph. Judy!Judy!Judy!. Lassie. Blaise. Frannie. And my dear Andy. My Father, Mother, and Sister stand together over off to the side, smiling their satisfaction of my work. Over 1,000 gifts standing there with peace and love and appreciation in their hearts. They await me and I cross the bridge to be engulfed in the love of them.

From this I get my strength and my will to continue. Knowing that someday I will be surrounded by love and joy. May you find the source of your joy and true peace in your heart on this Thanksgiving Day.

Enjoy the journey of each and every day,
Sandy and The Herds - On This Earth and The Herd Already Over the Bridge