Posts Tagged ‘God and horses’

Seeking His Protection

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

The purpose of this blog is to share the things I’ve learned from the horses in my lifetime. The other day I was speaking with a friend of over 30 years about seeking God and how hard it is when we are surrounded by worldly ways. We talked about why her life was filled with trials and how she felt it was more than she could handle. We talked about why it was happening to her and when I hung up from our conversation, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind a memory that serves as a wonderful example of the teaching I had just shared with her. The memory is such a strong visual that I felt moved to write this story for you in the hopes that you will gain some insight too….

In 1974 my sister and I both owned horses and kept them at a large boarding facility in southern Ontario. We were both teenagers and rode our horses most evenings after school and on weekends. Her horse was a beautiful chestnut thoroughbred gelding named Golden Ontario and his barn name was Fred. My horse was a palomino gelding named Moonshadow. At this stable, all the horses were turned out together during the day in a large pasture of about 10 acres in size. There were geldings and mares mixed together of all ages.

Within the first week of moving to this stable, Fred had become the herd boss. To those of you who don’t know herd dynamics, there is only one Alpha horse in any herd and all others follow a pecking order down the line from the highest to the lowest. The order is determined by the substance of the horse. It doesn’t matter what breed, age, size or color the horse is. Their inner strength, ability, dominance and integrity or their total character is what determines their order. This is a rule of their species. As a leader is selected, all of the others bow to their position and authority.

Even years ago as a teenager, I remember noticing something interesting about these herd dynamics. When Fred was in the field he was Number 1, the boss, the leader. At 5:00 when the horses were being brought into the barn to feed, Fred was first at the gate. And who do you think was Number 2. Yes, it was Moonshadow. But knowing my horse, and his more laid back personality, it surprised me to see him right there next to Fred. However they were the best of friends and had always been so. As soon as Fred was taken out of the field, Moonshadow’s place dropped almost to last. In a heartbeat, without Fred, he was lost in the crowd. I realized that Moonshadow was basking in the power and presence of Fred as his leader. Once he was no longer beside Fred, he lost that protection and the power that had been reflected on him.

Fred and Moonshadow

I’m sure by now you see where this story is going and the metaphor. Yes, Fred is like our Lord Jesus and Moonshadow is like each one of us.

Once I noticed this amazing phenomenon in horse behavior I started to look for more interesting information about the herd hierarchy. Whenever Moonshadow was out with Fred, he was grazing within a few feet of him. If any horse were to come near him, Fred would just look at the other horse and it would walk away. When Fred wanted to move somewhere else in the pasture, he would move to Moonshadow’s flank and push him to direct Moonshadow to where he wanted to go. Fred was always guiding Moonshadow from behind. He didn’t lead him, but nudged him quietly and gently in the direction that Fred decided was best for both of them. If Moonshadow refused to obey him one of two things happened. Either Fred was more forceful and would nip him in the haunches or Fred would walk away in the direction he had urged Moonshadow to go. Once Moonshadow realized he was no longer within the protection and safety of Fred’s presence, he would find other horses starting to pick on him and would quickly catch up to Fred again. I noticed over and over that Moonshadow was rarely more than a few feet from Fred. He had learned that it was the safest place for him to be. He also found out that when he was next to Fred, he had power. Other horses would listen to Moonshadow much as they listened to Fred. Of course Moonshadow never tried to tell Fred what to do. In that huge herd of thirty horses, Moonshadow found safety next to the alpha. The only time Fred was ever away from Moonshadow was when we took him out to be ridden. And again, I noticed that Moonshadow became lost. It took only moments for other stronger horses to pick on him and push him to the rear of the herd. He would be chased and kicked and had to run away from the danger. He no longer had the privilege or the power of being Number 2. Moonshadow would become just like the rest of the herd. He fell into the order established by the other horses. I noticed once Moonshadow walked away from Fred, and other horses chased him, Fred did not come rushing to his rescue. Instead, Moonshadow would have to choose to come back to the safety of Fred’s influence. What I also found interesting was that Fred only befriended selective horses. Only those horses who came humbly to Fred would be allowed into his circle and those horses would also bask in his power. While they were around him, there was peace in the herd because they all knew who the boss was and the natural order of things. The constant fighting and bickering between other horses did not reach the herd boss. He was the King of the Pasture.

So with this story, it is easy to see the parallel of our seeking and aligning ourselves with our Alpha. Jesus is the King of our lives and it is only while we stay close to him that we can bask in his power and protection. When we walk away from him or we refuse to follow his direction, we have lost that safety and in the end, we will lose the ability to find the life that He promised us. For Moonshadow it was easy. Just hang out with Fred and don’t get distracted. But for us, the world (or the rest of the herd) is very persuasive. It is easy to believe that small things won’t matter but in each step we take away from God, we lose Him. He will never leave us, but we are so easily persuaded to leave him. It is so hard to stay with the King when the rest of the herd is having so much fun and creating such a distraction for us. We find it difficult to stay focused on only one god. But we have to choose. We cannot have one foot near our leader and one foot in the world and still expect our lives to be safe. We wonder why our lives are so hard yet the answer is right there in what we are thinking and doing. Once we step away from His safety, what else can we expect than to get kicked? We have an enemy who is waiting for us to step away from our Savior. Just as the other horses immediately attacked Moonshadow and pushed him back the moment he was no longer near Fred, we have an enemy that will take control of our life once we step away from Jesus.

The problem is most of us do not realize we have stepped away from Him. We think as long as we believe we’re good. And that is true, believing will get you to Heaven. But it is your day to day relationship with Jesus that will bring you an abundant life in this world. Even small steps away from Him allows the influence of the world to intrude. We think it is okay to praise him one minute and continue with our worldly pursuits the next. It is the little things that our enemy uses to distance us from our protector. Whether we choose to disobey our leader or we lack the knowledge of His kingdom, either way we become caught up in the consequences of our choice. It is not okay to live without integrity. It is not okay to say you will do something then not do it because you don’t ‘feel’ like it. It is not okay to not return phone calls. It is not okay to be late and disrespect another persons time. It is not okay, to engage in intimate relations without the sanctity of marriage. It is not okay to bully another by speaking harshly to them. It is not okay to fight with your spouse when no one else can hear you. It is not okay to emotionally or physically abuse your children. It is not okay to let your children think the ways of the world are acceptable. It is not okay to accept what the world accepts as truth because we know that the only TRUTH is God’s way. It is not okay to settle for what everyone else does. It is not okay to eat a poor diet and abuse your body which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is not okay to leave a marriage because you don’t love your spouse anymore. Love is a decision! It is not okay to get drunk or take drugs behind closed doors. It is not okay to allow your children to spend time with ungodly people. It is not okay to be “yoked” with unbelievers. It is not okay to gossip, lie, cheat or steal. It is not okay to blame others. It is not okay to wallow in guilt and condemnation. It is not okay to text when you are driving. It is not okay to run up debt on your credit card that you cannot pay. It is not okay to think, speak or act in a way that would cause Jesus to weep. All these seemingly unimportant little things are the tiny steps the enemy uses to take you away from Jesus. God’s truth is ‘you reap what you sow’. Each time you choose to step away from God’s direction for your life, there will be consequences, just as Moonshadow found out. It is okay to set boundaries to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Learning to listen to the Holy Spirit’s counsel and guidance requires time and effort on your part. Studying His Word, spending time with those who are more mature in the Lord, Hearing His voice and obeying it, fasting and prayer are all tools to keep you near God. It is not okay to walk away from the protection and love of your God. You need Him in your life at every step. We are living in tough times and, like Moonshadow, I hope you learn how to fight the evil one and take the authority that Jesus has already given you through His resurrection at the cross. If God has called you to him, He wants you to stay near Him. And sometimes, God will ‘nip’ you in the haunches to get your attention. The wonderful thing about Jesus is His grace and mercy to forgive us each time we come back to Him. He will always love you. There is nothing so wrong in His eyes that can’t be forgiven if you repent and turn away from it. Yes Moonshadow gave up the freedom of interacting with the rest of the herd, but he gained the power of the Alpha. He knew where the safest place was to have a blessed life, DO YOU?

Trish & Athena at the Cross


Recommended reading…. Victory in Spiritual Warfare by Tony Evans…..

We at Story Book Meadows love you and pray that this story helps you seek your true leader. And believe me, I am right there with you, constantly stepping away and wondering why life is so hard. God says in the bible “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. That is TRUTH. If you’ve not yet joined up with Jesus, there will never be a better time than NOW! Learn how to live in the shelter of the Most High God and receive the Blessings He has waiting for you.

Blessings, Trish

Lost Dogs

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Last week I learned some very important life lessons from the ranch. I’d like to share them with you.

I’ve always prided myself on taking all the precautions and going above and beyond what most people would do to keep our animals safe on our property. Yes you could say type A, perfectionist and obsessive about their safety. I spent thousands of dollars when we built this farm five years ago to put non-climb wire with a board on top around the entire perimeter of our 50 acre ranch. And for the last few years I lived in this place of knowing our dogs could not escape this large yard I had created for them. They loved to run, chase squirrels and whatever else crossed their paths. I felt secure in my little bubble that they were safe. Well that bubble burst with a loud pop last Tuesday morning when some animal in our woods ran and all five of our little black and white Jack Russells ran after the critter. The animal had dug a hole under the wire fence and it knew to run out that escape hole. Unfortunately, the dogs were right on it’s tail and ran through the escape hole right after it. As I hurried after them calling (more like screaming) at the top of my lungs, I could hear their yips as they ran deeper into the woods hot on the trail of whatever they were chasing. Jack Russells are hunters after all, but of my five, really only two of them were authentic at it. The others just followed the pack. As I stood at the fence calling and calling with no result, Seth (the doberman who is way too big to go under the fence) and I could no longer hear them. I went from annoyed to angry pretty quickly. It was about 10 am and I had just lost all of my little dogs.

I had lost these same five a few weeks ago in the same manner when they went under the fence chasing four deer. They had all returned about 30 minutes apart within a total of 2 hours. So at this point, I was predicting their staggered return and although I was concerned, I wasn’t panicking.

About 30 minutes later, Sheba showed up and ran to me all happy and very dirty. I had no idea where she had come from since I was still standing near the hole they’d gone out and she hadn’t come back in that way. Obviously there was more than one hole they were coming in and out from. I took her and Seth to the wash rack and gave them both a bath. While I was doing that, Zoe arrived back at the barn with blood all over her. I brought her into the wash rack and bathed her looking for the source of the blood. It was easy to determine as the blood poured out of a tear in her ear. I tried bandaging it but that didn’t work and eventually it did stop bleeding. Her ear was split in two. After I put those three into their yard, I went back out to the race track where our woods start and continued to yell and honk the golf cart horn trying to help them find their way home. With hundreds of acres of woods behind us, I knew there was a good chance they could get lost or hurt out there. After about another hour of that with no results, I had to leave to go to the feed store. I left the field gate open hoping they would return on their own.

When I returned from buying feed, Tyler was back at the yard gate. I hoped that Candy and Puddles would be close behind. I was getting worried because they were not hunters and I wasn’t sure they would find their way home. Candy, after all, had done this before since she was lost when I adopted her as a stray 8 years ago. As the hours passed with no sight of them, I started to drive around the block every hour to see if they had come out of the woods anywhere. Still there was no sight of them. I ran off fliers and dropped one in each mail box of those on our street so anyone seeing the dogs would know where they lived. By dark I was panicked. My little dogs did not know how to spend the night in the woods. There were coyotes, wild hogs, bobcats and who knows what else. I was thankful at least that it wasn’t to be a cold night. Gary and I prayed continuously and I sent our prayer request to all those I knew. I looked at the two empty beds where they slept each night and I felt very sad, like a piece of me was missing.

As I lay in bed that night I thought about families whose children have been lost or stolen. I wondered how they could bear it. Although these two are only dogs, they are my family and we love them. I have never had children and my animals have filled that void. How much worse would it be to not know where your child is. To imagine all the horrors that they could encounter out on their own. I realized I had thought I was keeping them safe with my fencing and protected environment but I also had to admit, I had seen a few holes over the last few weeks but had not taken the steps to fill them in and maintain the ‘fortress’. I had gotten lazy about protecting them. I had just figured they wouldn’t go out the holes because they don’t dig. I had forgotten about the influence of the world outside their yard. There had been a warning to me when they had escaped chasing the deer a few weeks ago but I had ignored that warning. I thought about how many times in our lives we try to keep our children, our animals, our lives safe but we don’t always take the necessary steps to do just that. We find it easier to just go along with what everyone else is doing instead of listening to our own intuition and the voice of God. I’d been warned to take the necessary steps for their safety, but I hadn’t listened. And now, I was feeling guilty, scared and worried. I loved them both but Puddles was my favorite. I was feeling guilty because I was thinking if only Puddles would come home, I’d be okay with that. It was a long and restless night.

In the morning, I looked outside hopeful that I would see two little dogs waiting by the yard, but they weren’t there. We attached fliers to the STOP signs on all the roads around our property. I started cruising the roads again. I put fliers in all the feed stores, HITS, and the Kwik King’s. I headed to the pound to give them a picture of the two and give them their micro chip numbers so if anyone turned them in they could call me immediately. As I drove down Hwy. 27 my phone rang. It was Gary. “Do you believe in miracles?” he asked me. “Absolutely”, I answered.

“Puddles is home!” he informed me, “I came out of the house and there she was sitting at the gate to the yard”. I cannot describe the overwhelming joy I felt. Tears started pouring down my face as I thanked God for being so merciful. I had begged Him to show Puddles the way home. She had survived one night in the forest and had found her way back home. I was sure Candy would be close behind her but I continued onto the pound to report her still missing just in case. As I toured the pound and looked into the faces of all those hopeful dogs I felt so bad that their owners didn’t want them or hadn’t come to claim them. Candy was not there and she had not been reported as found. On my way home, I placed more fliers in feed stores, tack stores and Publix, hoping someone would pick her up, see a flier and call me.

When I got home I was so excited to see Puddles. She seemed a little distant and disoriented but was happy to be back. She gave kisses and rolled over looking for my love. I wondered when I had started taking these guys for granted. I wondered when I’d started to live so much in the future and all my grand plans that I’d stopped appreciating each moment I shared with them. I wondered when I had stopped living every moment to the fullest and enjoying the here and now with each of them and the horses and my husband. Now is really all we can ever be sure of. I finally understood that life could change in a moment and that we should live in such a way that there are no regrets. God has given us this moment and we never know what will come next. As I make my plans, God directs my steps. Finally, I understood how to truly appreciate each and every moment of my life. I knew I should call my elderly parents more often. I needed to stay in phone contact with friends and other family. In this day of texting and emails everything has become so impersonal. But any moment could be the last one you have to spend with a loved one. I wondered if Candy knew I loved her.

Just after feeding that Wednesday night I got a phone call from a person down the road. He told me he’d seen Candy at 5:30 that morning on someone’s lawn near his home. Even though it was twelve hours later, I jumped in the truck and headed to where he’d seen her and called and called but she was nowhere to be found. I drove back home in the dark not knowing if someone had picked her up or if she had gone back into the woods still trying to make her way home. She was obviously disoriented and lost. I realized that by keeping them in my protected bubble I had not prepared them for life outside their yard. They didn’t know how to find their way home. I decided then that I would start taking them for walks down the road and around the neighborhood so they would learn how to find their way home if this ever happened again. I think it was the not knowing that was so disturbing. Had Candy been picked up and was enjoying herself in someone’s home? Was she still lost in the woods and trying to find her way back? Was she lying dead somewhere in the woods? We kept praying for her safety and health and return. So many people were praying for her that I knew God was listening. But fear was in my heart.

By Thursday morning and still no Candy my optimism was starting to waiver. I had canceled all visitors to the ranch. The other dogs were restricted to the yard while we worked on boarding up all the holes around the 50 acre perimeter. Something that should have been done weeks ago. I couldn’t help thinking it was like “shutting the barn door after the horse had run out”. I was equally begging God for her safe return and praising Him for bringing her home. I wanted to harden my heart and tell myself I didn’t care what happened to her just so the pain and fear would stop. I had posted fliers everywhere, called the pound and the Humane Society and I didn’t know what else I could do. Then around 4pm I received a phone call. My heart jumped with hope. But the lady who called just informed me that she had seen Candy on the side of the road in the same area as the other man at 2pm on Wednesday afternoon. She was heading to the HITS show and had wondered why she was out there all alone. I asked her why she didn’t pick her up and her reply was she didn’t want to get attached to any more animals. I understood her emotions but I wondered why someone seeing a lost little dog wouldn’t pick her up to keep her safe and take her to the pound. Any owner having lost a dog will always check the pound first. But the lady had left her there and when she returned two hours later she said she didn’t see her again. This time I took the golf cart around the neighborhood honking the horn hoping she was still hiding in the bushes somewhere. I got calls from people who offered to come out and help me search. It was so amazing the kindness of strangers when I asked them to keep an eye out for her. As I drove around I couldn’t help but think of Matthew 18:12-13 “If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish”. If I could never give up on finding Candy, how much more determination does God have to save all of those who are lost? I gained a totally new perspective on the urgency of helping those who are lost to see the light. But darkness came again and still we had not found Candy.

I will admit by Friday morning I was filled with fear. Candy, it seemed wasn’t coming home. I was finally in that place, where as they say “the rubber meets the road” in my faith. My heart said God was big enough to do this and “All things are possible”. But my head was telling me after four days, the chances of her coming home were slim. I had done everything that I could and now it was up to God. I happened to watch Creflo Dollar that morning on TV as he talked about fear. He taught that when you have fear about one area of your life it is because you’ve stopped believing God for that area of your life. I had to think for a moment about why I was feeling so fearful. I did believe God could bring Candy home after all that was easy for Him, but the fear was because there was a question in my heart, “Did I truly believe God would do this for me?” This was what was causing the fear. I immediately prayed to stop the torment of the enemy on my mind and the fear lifted. I told God I did believe He would do this for me and I knew in order to move this mountain, I had to truly believe in my heart…….and so I did. I meditated for the rest of the day on scripture Mark 11:22-24 “if you say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and do not doubt in your heart but believe that what you say will happen, it will be done for you. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Friday evening just after feeding as it was getting dark, my cell phone rang. “I think I have your dog” said the voice at the other end of the line. I started to cry from the relief and joy of her words. She gave me directions, Gary and I drove the five miles to their home and I held my breath as we got out of the truck. In her arms was my sweet Candy. As I took her into my arms, she covered my face in kisses. She too seemed disoriented and shocked but she was so happy to be back with her mom. The couple told us the story of how Candy came to be with them. She had traveled down our road to the far end about two miles. When their grandson had gotten off the school bus on Wednesday afternoon, Candy had followed him home but it was on the intersecting road and we had not put fliers down that road. I had not imagined she would have gone so far. Candy had then been taken to the grandmother’s home. When she had driven back over to see her daughter and was returning home, she finally saw the flier I had put on the stop sign at 115th and CR 326. That was Friday night and she’d called me right away. So in truth, Candy had only spent one night in the woods and had been well looked after since then. We brought her home, removed a couple of ticks, gave her a bath since she was full of fleas and watched her reunite with her children. (She is the mother of the other four JR dogs we have).

Candy & Puddles

Once our little family was safe again in the house that night, we knelt down and thanked God for bringing her safely home. And in my heart I felt a soft voice asking me “Why did you doubt Me?” I knew that this lesson from our ranch would stay with me whenever other storms headed our way in the future.

The next morning, I started teaching myself how to stay “present” in each moment and to enjoy the day as it unfolded and to praise God for it! I had learned that the safety of my world was only by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus. And I learned that all the ‘head knowledge’ I had from sitting in church each week was not the faith that the bible speaks of. I learned that my personal relationship with Jesus and my ‘heart knowledge’ is really what makes the difference. God hears our prayers and if you really believe in your heart, without doubt, He will move mountains.

Blessings to all from our family,
Gary & Trish
Candy, Puddles, Tyler, Zoe, Sheba, Seth

A Story of Hope and Healing

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

This is my story. For those of you who know me well, you know I suffered a bad head injury in August of 2003. A horse trailer drop down window dropped down on my head causing a compression of the C-5 vertebrae of my neck. For months I was fuzzy, incoherent and unable to do my daily chores of looking after 40 horses on my thoroughbred farm. Then on December 24th of that same year I was riding (you can’t keep a horse woman on the ground) when my horse let out a huge buck (my error) and I endured a total whiplash. The pain of all 44 muscles in my neck being torn (I was unable to hold up my head without support), was indescribable. So I took a lot of pain meds and had to close down my business. By selling part of our farm in 2005 and rebuilding on our existing acreage, the next two years went by in a blur of constant work I couldn’t do, pain, non-stop chiropractor appointments and several trips to neurologists to try to find relief from my neck injuries.

Although the whiplash had healed, I was always in pain, sometimes severe enough that I would spend days on the couch with ice packs, and other times just an annoying ache that never really went away. I couldn’t lift anything anymore (this coming from a woman who could unload 40 bags of feed from her truck alone in about 5 minutes), I couldn’t clean stalls or hammer boards or do any of the things I’d always done around the farm. I could no longer lead a thoroughbred because if they pulled, my right shoulder and neck could not take the strain and I would have to let them go. I couldn’t ride anymore because the pain would last for days afterwards. I had spent hours and hours going for chiropractic treatments and thousands of dollars to get relief that would only last a day or two but never really got to the problem. The neurologist said my neck was perfectly normal for a 48 year old. (I looked at him and wondered how any doctor could say that with a straight face to someone in as much pain as I was). I spent thousands of dollars more on acupuncture treatments that would help ease the pain enough that at least I could do normal daily chores. But the worst of this journey of injury and pain was the depression.

As a Christian, I knew my hope was in Christ but I had to wonder where He was. Each morning I would wake up with severe depression and tears running down my face. I would pretend everything was okay to get through the day but the hopelessness endured. Through all of this, I could hear God’s calling for me to start a ministry with horses and I tried. I would take the steps of obedience but the depression would catch up with me. I thought it was hormone imbalance, I thought it was from the pain. I thought I could just read God’s Word and get over it, but it was still there each morning. I asked the doctor for help and they prescribed anti-depressants which I threw away. I knew that wasn’t the answer. I spent many sleepless nights watching the clock all night long getting no sleep at all then having to go through the next day. I put on several workshops and welcomed guests to the ranch having had no sleep at all the night before. I went to the doctor for help and they prescribed sleeping pills. I tried those because I was desperate to get some sleep but they didn’t keep me asleep through the pain throbbing in my neck. So I went back to the doctor and explained they weren’t working because of the pain and they prescribed Celebrex for pain. So I took them and the pain was reduced enough to sleep but my stomach got upset and my depression worsened. I could no longer welcome friends to my home because I never knew when I would have a good day or a bad day. My husband stood by me and took on all of my work through those trying times but he never truly understood what I was going through. Neither did friends and family. There were days I no longer liked myself.

I was ready to quit so many times. I wanted to close down Story Book because I couldn’t do it alone in this state of health. But I could hear God telling me NO that there were trials we had to endure and our faith had to grow. He was with me yet I couldn’t always find Him. So I spoke words of defeat and felt defeated all the while knowing I still believed Jesus would deliver my healing. But I am not a patient person so I would study patience knowing that was my lesson to be learned at His feet. So instead of quitting Story Book, I signed up with iPEC Coaching to become a Life Coach knowing I wanted to help others with the trials they would go through. I wanted to be equipped to Empower, Engage and Evolve others through the teaching of the horses and the Holy Spirit here on the ranch. I struggled through the training still in pain and with cloudy thinking many days. I knew I couldn’t go any further until I found the healing that Jesus promised each of us.

Previously I had begged for healing, I had cried, I had been very pitiful. But this time I got on my knees and told God I was angry at him. He could heal me but He wasn’t. At 51 was my life really over? Was this all that was left for the rest of my life? I wanted a miracle. I wanted the parting of the Red Sea. I wanted my life back. I wanted to use the horses to help people. I wanted to share the Blessings God had given me with others. But I needed healing first.

But His miracles never come about in the way that we expect. And my miracle was there waiting for me all the time through all those years of pain and suffering. He just had to lead me there in His timing. In May of 2009 we had started holding Fellowships at the Pond through our church and because of that gathering I met another wonderful Canadian woman, Micheline, who had also had a neck injury falling off a horse a few years ago. We bonded, as people who have shared in the same type of suffering do, and became friends. Over the next year we shared our stories of attempted healing with chiropractors and she continued to look for an answer. Her symptoms were somewhat worse. Although she wasn’t in the pain I was in, she would suffer seizures and stroke like symptoms and her life, like mine was unpredictable because we couldn’t count on our health. Then one day she told me about a different type of chiropractor, one that was trained in NUCCA which is the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. She went for a free consultation and found out that this technique involved adjusting the C-1 Axis (the top bone of the vertebrae) and that once it was adjusted, the rest of the spine just fell into place. It sounded too simple to be true. So she went for her initial x-rays to see where her neck was deviated. When the chiropractor studied the measurements of her C-1 he found she was out and twisted by 1 1/2 degrees. He adjusted her while I watched and I observed Micheline’s miracle. By moving and untwisting her C-1 that little amount, the pressure was taken off the nerve and she has since not been back for another treatment and has not had another seizure. She bought a motorcycle and is now living her life to the fullest!

With new hope in my heart, I booked an appointment for myself. When he took x-rays of my C-1 he found it twisted to the right (where I carried all of my pain) by 8 1/2 degrees and also twisted up on the left side so I was not level. Whether it was the trailer door falling on my head, the whiplash, the time I fell off a motor scooter and got knocked out without a helmet on, the fall off a galloping horse when I was in my twenties and got knocked out again with no helmet on or the very first bad fall off a horse when I was sixteen, I don’t know how the bone in my neck moved so far. But with a ten minute adjustment and a day of reaction to the bone moving that far back into alignment, I was finally free of pain. The C-1 bone is the base of the brain stem so not only was it realigned to relieve the pain, but the cloudy thinking, the depression and the inability to reason at times was also completely healed. It has now been two weeks since my miracle. Dr. Thomas has been in business for years. He was there all along. It just took God’s intricate leading to get me to his office.

HOW AMAZING IS OUR GOD? I want to dance in the streets and yell from the mountaintops that I am healed. I will have my life again and continue the calling on my life using horses to help people find truth. I’m sure I’ll knock that bone out again, but now I have the answer to put it right back in.

If you have suffered with neck pain or injury, please don’t hesitate to go and see Dr. Thomas. He is a Christian who is working God’s miracles on a daily basis. His office number is 352-245-6169. His procedure is very non-evasive and gentle.

As for me, I’m ready to go forward with God’s Ministry here at the Ranch. There is a miracle just around the corner for each and every one of us. It just takes faith, truth and persistence to watch it manifest in your life. NEVER GIVE UP, there is always hope. Watch for future emails and blogs about upcoming events, workshops and ways to help at-risk teens here at Story Book Meadows.

We love you all,

Trish & Gary

A Morning Blessing

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Fawn

Yes, that is a fawn in the horse stall. Isn’t she the most beautiful baby?

I was driving in the golf cart alongside Whisper, our thoroughbred race horse, who is training to go back to the track. Normally I follow beside her as she is ridden down the lane way at the center of the ranch on the way to the race track in the woods, but this morning I was day dreaming and ended up following the driveway to the back barn. When I realized I was not with the horse, I chose to go the other route to the race track, behind the barn and down the east perimeter fence line. As I drove past the manure pile and headed down the hill at the back I noticed something round and brown lying on the grass about 20 feet out from the wire perimeter fence. I thought for a moment it was a strange colored turtle, but the shape wasn’t right. As I drove the golf cart some 10 feet away from this brown object that was all curled up, I noticed the white dots patterned on her back. It was obviously a baby deer. So far she hadn’t moved and I didn’t know if she was dead or alive. I stopped the cart and stepped out. She picked up her head, took one look at me and ran. As she ran towards the wire fence she gave out the most heartbreaking cry. Somewhere between a calf bellowing and a high pitched squeal. I watched her bump into the fence with her head, then run along side it towards the woods. Then she collapsed in a heap on the ground about 50 yards away and curled up again.

I had a lot of knowledge about baby horses and the habits of mares and foals since I’d spent five years breeding and foaling well over 40 mares, but I had absolutely no knowledge of deer and their babies. I looked around wondering if Mom was somewhere in the woods looking at me but I couldn’t see her. I thought about my five Jack Russel’s and the doberman who would either chase this sweet baby to death or possibly grab her and kill her if they found her. It was obvious to me that the mother had fawned the baby within our ranch grounds and she had jumped out over the fence but her baby could not follow her. She was probably no more than a few weeks old. I didn’t know if her mother would come back for her but I felt she was not safe out in the open when our dogs were running loose.

So I jumped on the golf cart and drove beside her again. This time when she jumped up and tried to run she cornered herself beside a large log lying next to the fence line. I was able to pick her up in my arms and firmly hold her while she struggled for a few moments and bellowed a few more times. It was such a disturbing sound and I knew she was terrified. I spoke softly to her and stroked her head as I carried her back to the golf cart.

I rode with her to the front barn to put her in a stall because I still had to go to the track to watch Josey gallop the mare. As I drove to the barn, I continued to pet her and talk to her and she settled comfortably in my arms. I looked down at her perfect spots and I knew God had given me a once in a lifetime opportunity to hold a wild animal. I was sure I’d never again feel this overwhelming sense of wonder of something as beautiful as the fawn I was holding. As I gazed at her small black, slightly pug nose, her tiny split toe hooves and her big brown eyes, I was totally besotted. Then I looked at her coat and the perfect rows of spots dotted on the soft brown fur. It was like God had taken an artist paint brush and put each spot in a precise pattern along her back. I was in awe of the total perfection of this creature. Though I see the beauty of His work daily around the ranch, this was like an awakening. It was as though He wanted to gently remind me of His amazing creations and His almighty power by dropping this little one right in my lap. And I was so thankful. It was a precious moment, a blessing. I thought about those who don’t believe in our Creator. I thought about some young people I know who believe in the Evolution theory and all that science has to offer in their small explanations. And I wondered how anyone who could look at this tiny perfect creature and her tiny perfect spots could truly not believe in a huge and Almighty God, and the love He has for all of His creatures.

I wanted to keep her so badly but I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do. In my mind I was figuring out where I could build a fenced in area for her to grow up and wondered if she could just go out with Noah and the donkeys once she was older. I’d seen lots of photos people had taken of deer with their horses. I put the baby in a horse stall at the barn and drove back out to watch the horse gallop. Once we were finished with Whisper, I checked on my own little Bambi and saw that she was lying down curled up in a ball again. I went into the house and looked up on the internet to find out what to do with her.

First, the article said put her back where she was so that her mother would come back for her, unless something had happened to the mother. It said they will leave their babies for up to 12 hours at a time to go off and eat and the babies are not supposed to move from the spot where they are left. I had to wonder how the mother could possibly communicate that to her baby and how something so young would listen to her. With horses, the mare was always near the foal or at least could see it. So this was a totally different set of rules. But I was still worried about the fawn’s safety on our side of the fence because there was no way she could jump out until she was a few months older. So I would never know if she would be left alone where the dogs could find her again. I saw there was a number to call at the bottom of the page. I spoke with a woman who helped explain their natural habits. She said the fawn needed to be returned to the spot I found her although I could put her up to 50 feet away. She needed to stay in the same vicinity because the mother would be coming back for her as long as she could find her. She said the fawn would not move from that spot. I told her my concerns about my dogs and that I thought it might be better to put her over the fence and into the woods on the other side. I didn’t think my neighbors had dogs that would go over there and at least this way the baby wouldn’t be stuck on my ranch. So the woman told me to put her over the fence and check on her until night time to see if she was still there.

So Gary and I went out to the stall prepared to put her back. As I went into the stall she jumped up and again tried to run from me. She hit the wall a few times until I was able to put my arms around her again. She cried another few times then settled down. Gary took my picture holding her as I stroked her back again. I really wanted to keep her but I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do and that her mother was probably frantic by now. The woman I spoke to said the doe had probably been watching her baby from a spot in the woods. So after taking her picture we rode on the golf cart back out to the place I had found her. While I held her in my arms Gary climbed over the fence and found a spot under a tree that was only about 40 feet from her original location. As I was about to pass her into Gary’s arms, she turned her head, and with her big brown eyes she looked at me and licked my arm. My heart melted and I gave her head a kiss. I prayed God’s blessings upon her and passed her to Gary. She bellowed again as he held her and squirmed to be free. I was a little concerned that she would run when he let her go and her mother would never find her but once Gary set her down under the tree and hopped back over the fence, she just sniffed the ground and her surroundings, circled and settled back down to wait. We wondered if she would be safe there but figured we’d come back and check on her in a few hours. Another interesting thing the woman at the wildlife number had told us was that fawns have no scent so predators cannot find them. I wondered if that is why my dogs had not found her where she’d been lying that morning.

Several hours later we decided to see if she was still there. Once we got to the spot we could see that she was gone. “Did Mom come back or did she wander off?” I said. We climbed the fence and smiled when we saw larger deer prints all around the tree. Sure enough her mother had returned to pick up baby and they had gone off together. I was happy and sad at the same time. I wondered if I would ever see her again. I wondered if she would tell her Mom about her exciting ride on a golf cart and how she’d spent an hour in a horse stall.

I felt so blessed that God had given me that short time with one of His precious animals. I knew that it was a moment in time that I would always remember and I wondered if it was a moment the fawn would remember too.

There was a message to me from the ranch that day. It was a message about God’s precious love.