This is the final Daily Message of Gratitude series for 2024. We hope you enjoyed and were inspired by all of the animals you have helped. They have enjoyed an opportunity to express their gratitude to all of you.
From Shawnee: “When I was born, my mother died. I would have died too if it wasn’t for the kindness of humans who showed up to help. I have had many horse friends as I grew up that took me in and made me part of their family. I have since also lost all of them. But I had a choice in life to give in to that loss and let it overcome me or for me to find something new to focus on. I chose to focus on being a friend to others who found themselves alone. And my life is now rich with so many things. When we choose purpose and kindness over despair, it heals our hearts. I hope you will trust your heart to kindness and be the gift this world needs. That is my message. I am grateful you asked.”
Below is a video of Shawnee with Dawn reading his message:
From Flannigan: “One of the gifts I am most grateful for is curiosity. Maybe that sounds strange but I am always very curious about everything. Because of that, I am never bored. Sometimes, if I’m honest, it can get me into trouble. Like when I tip buckets of water over on the floor. I was simply trying to see what was in there. Oh well. There is so much to be curious about in life. Like where do leaves go? I see them tumble by our cattery and off they go. Do they ever stop? Do they end up many miles away? Did the leaf I see already come from many miles away? What do the birds see when they fly high up into the sky? What do trees think about? Do you ever wonder any of these things? Are you curious? See, there are so many things to wonder about and discover. Life will never be boring for me.”
From Snowball: “I am grateful for sunny days. I know we need the rainy ones too. But I love being able to feel the sun warm my body and I just soak it all in. I also appreciate seeing the stars on clear nights. The other thing I am grateful for is to be a goat. My goat body is the best fun in the world. I love to climb on things and run and leap for just the fun of it. And I love the taste of all the different grass, leaves, and plants that I find. I have favorite ones and it is great fun to scout them out and find a secret stash and eat it all. I also appreciate kindness. I love it when people visiting look at me and say my name. It makes me feel so special. I have lots of good people around me. I am grateful for all of them.”
From Carley: “I love to sing. Ask anyone who is around first thing in the morning when I celebrate when our caretakers arrive to start their day. I have a mighty voice. And the great thing is that I also know I am heard. It feels good to be understood and loved. My other donkey friends and I went through some awful times. But we all supported each other and got through that together. None of us could have imagined we would be in a wonderful place like this one. I find comfort with my friends. And I can trust that we are safe. There is nothing that could ever be greater than that. I am grateful for every day. And I love to share my gratitude whenever I can. That is why I love to sing. Then everyone can hear my message of joy.”
From Genny: “I’ll tell you something. I think life is just the best. There is so much to be grateful for every day. I love my cat friends. And I love my human friends too. Not all of them really understand me. Sometimes it is a little difficult at first when I meet new people. But I am really good with quiet people. I don’t think you humans know how loud you are in your heads, even when you are not talking. It’s kind of funny. Cats know how to be quiet inside. And we also like to share that with you as well. I love my toys. I love certain boxes and crinkled paper. I love the sun. And I like to smell things in the breeze outside my door. There are so many great things in life. Sometimes, you just need to get quiet inside to appreciate them.”
From Blue: “I have found so much joy in being a bunny. I am grateful every day for everything I am being given. There are so many things that I like about life. I love eating. I love playing. I love being in a form that can jump. But, by far, the thing I treasure most is companionship. I lost my bunny friend this year and it made me quite sad. I knew it was her time to leave her body behind. But I still miss snuggling up beside her. I have a new friend now. We are still learning about each other. She was alone too. She is very different than my other friend but that is ok. My heart feels comfort when I can share my things with a friend. I hope you are blessed with friendship too.”
From Brandy: “I am most grateful for being able to share my heart with those who can use a dose of compassion. I think the human heart is a very beautiful thing. But what I notice most about you is that you often cannot see your own light and beauty. So, if you come to see me, my intention is just to reflect back to you what I see in you. We can spend a moment in peace and kindness. You humans need much more of that. You sometimes seem to spend a lot of time rattling around in your heads and you get yourselves somewhat lost. But we believe in you. Animals hold a space for your hearts to find comfort within yourselves. We see you for who you are. And we love you for who you are. I am grateful to share that experience with all who wish to share. I have known fear, hunger, and great sadness too. You are not alone when you are experiencing those things. I guess what I want to share this year is that I am most grateful for all of you. I wouldn’t be alive today if it were not for the kindness of humans who brought me and my friends to safety out of darkness. I am blessed by the kindness of the human heart and I will spend my life giving that back to you.”
From Bella: “I know what you’re thinking because I hear it all the time…. ‘oh what a pretty cat.’ I am grateful for the compliment but there is far more to me than my pretty looks. I have always been a little shy around people, but that is changing. I have a renewed mission and passion for life now than I did a couple of years ago. I used to be overcome by the problems that humans hold onto and carry with them. I think being human must be fairly difficult to deal with. You have certain blind spots about yourselves that you can’t seem to see the beauty in your own self. But I have come to realize that I can help with that. Every single being is beautiful. And when you let your inner light shine, you can be amazingly radiant. What I have learned is that I have a gift to help you find that inner core. I am grateful to help ease the burden of the human heart. You are more important than you realize. Every light is meant to shine. That is how we help each other out of darkness.”
This time of year can truly be difficult and challenging for many of us. Yes, it is a time of gratitude and joy. But it is often also a time of loneliness and heartbreak for many. As we look back on this year and years past, many of us find ourselves with the loss of someone(s) that we miss. All we can feel is the grief and loss and emptiness. But, whether your loss is for animal or human or both, this year, we wanted to share yet another perspective. Because grief is hard. There is no way around it. But, we sometimes need a reminder that the reason we feel grief is because of a great love that we shared with someone who we now miss. Here is the thing though. Nothing …. not time or space or perceived distance …. takes that love away. That shared love is still alive and as real as ever. Grief is a reminder of that love. Grief steps in and says to us, “wait, let’s not focus on what’s missing. Let’s focus on what’s still here.”
From Rollin: “Hey, hey, hey there! I am Rollin and I am a spectacular rooster. Here are some of the many things that I am grateful for. Hens, without them I am lost. The sun, always. The rain, as it is needed. Worms. Bugs. Mud puddles. People who listen. People who care. Kindness. The quiet of the barn at night when we all listen to each other eating and breathing. The farm and being able to freely explore everything I want – especially the garden beds. Greenies given to us as treats. Freedom. For all of these things, I am truly grateful. Let’s hear some things you are grateful for. What things are on your list?”
From Leo: “I love these messages. I think people underestimate how much we animals do appreciate things and how deeply we feel about things. I see this all the time. Sometimes people say things about me and call me stubborn. That is because they really don’t know me. And when people dismiss me, then I don’t show them the more sensitive side of myself. I’ll tell you what my favorite things in life are. First, I am grateful for all my friends. We are a real family and we all deeply care about each other. I love being outside in the sun. But I also like looking at the rain. And my favorite thing of all is to watch butterflies. I think butterflies are magical. If you watch how they surf the wind currents and then land on a flower. They are really special. When I see a butterfly, I watch them and I feel their joy and freedom. It makes me happy. When is the last time you took time to watch a butterfly with wonder?”
From Lucy: “This is a very special year for me so I asked to be picked for this question. Without the help of my human friends here, I would not even be alive right now. People believed in me. They trusted me with the decision that I still wanted to live. I had a disease that caused my face to get huge. They called it a mass. I didn’t care at first, but then I started getting bad headaches. I haven’t always been easy on people. But even though I can be a little opinionated, they still treated me like a queen and listened to what my feelings were. I underwent a lot of treatments and vet visits. But the mass went away and you would never even know that it was once there. I feel great. I look great. And I know that I am one of the luckiest cats in the world. I am grateful to everyone who pulled together to help me get my treatment. And I want you all to know how grateful I am that you care so much. I get to appreciate every breath I take for the rest of my life.”
From Mary: “Oh my goodness, the list of things I’m grateful for is very long. First of all, I must tell you that I love being a sheep. It is the greatest thrill of all. I am grateful to stand outside in the sun and soak in all the warmth. I am absolutely infatuated with plants and trees. I am grateful for all they bring to the planet. There are so many different kinds of grasses and plants that I love to eat. And one of the most amazing things in the world that I am grateful for are peppermints. Now, to be clear, they do not grow on trees or bushes. I depend upon the kindness of humans to bring me some of those. And I am most grateful when they do! I love my sheep friends and my human friends too. I try to live my life one breath at a time. No use fretting over things. Whatever is happening will change in the next breath anyway. That is what life is about. I ride through life like the butterfly surfs the currents in the sky. Every single thing in life is worthy of gratitude.”
From Cami: “I spent a part of my life feeling like I was not grateful for much of anything if I’m honest. It was like I kept hitting a wall. I ended up with humans who never understood me. They tried to get me to do things I just couldn’t do. I tried to please them. But no matter what I did, it was never good enough. I couldn’t really find much joy in anything. But that all changed for me. I have been here on this farm now for several years. And it has taken me all these years to really trust that what I found now is real and is going to stay this way for me. I’m not going to be sold to someone else who will be disappointed in me. I’m home. And now I am finding out more about myself and who I really am. I am liking life very much now. In fact, I am grateful for every single day. I feel like I am here to learn a lot in this lifetime. Trust is a big issue for me. I am grateful to live in a place where I have learned to trust. What a gift that is. My heart is more free and less painful. And I stop and appreciate all the little things in my life that make living so worthwhile.”
From Arabella: “I am grateful that people here see me for what is inside. I know I am tattered and torn. But my heart still loves comfort and compassion. I love to sit with humans who understand me. There is nothing better than sharing with another heart. I love my cat friends too. If someone wants to come sit with me, I will snuggle up on your lap and we will share in that moment together. I find magic in quiet time. You humans spend way too much time moving around. You should relax and breathe more. It would really help you to balance yourselves better. That is just my advice. Those are my thoughts. I am grateful to be here and grateful to share with you.”
From Lucy: “The years have been very kind to me. I am enjoying every bit of this amazing ride in this spectacular goose body. There is so much to do. I cannot get around as much as I once did. But I am still keeping track of all there is going on around the farm. I feel a lot through my feet. I love to feel the earth and know that I am deeply rooted in earth energy. I love the respect the humans here give to me. It fills my heart with pride to be here. It is an honor to serve a life of purpose and measure. We have a big mission here. My heart holds space for it all. I soak up every bit of kindness and compassion and love and hold onto it so that I can send it out to the universe. I am but a goose you say? No…. don’t let my “gooseness” fool you. My wisdom comes from many lifetimes and will go for many more. I am blessed to be a part of the heart of this farm. I serve with honor and dignity and pride. And my soul shall here forever reside.”
From Mabel: “I am delighted to answer this question each year, so thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am grateful for so many things. I wasn’t always that way. I used to be fairly withdrawn within myself. But all of that changed when I found some amazing donkey friends to be with. I love them all. We lost two very special donkeys here this year. I would like to dedicate my message to them. I will tell you what I was most grateful for in them. Xander was elderly like I am. He had a very large heart and soft wisdom. He brought a lot of peace to my life. I was so glad to know him. I can still feel him around us. He had a way of making the world feel alright. And, Noah, was the other cherished friend. When I first met Noah I was determined not to like him. I thought he was just another young upstart trying to prove his way in life. But, oh, was I ever wrong. Noah was an old soul in a young body. He left us way too soon. Noah held a big space in our herd. He understood and radiated a great peace. He was very special. I hope one day I will see my two friends again. They taught an old heart how to be soft again. I will always be grateful for that.”
From Olivia: “This is my favorite thing to do each year. I always ask if I can give a message because I have a lot to say. I lost my leg when I was very young. But I never once let that get me down. I get around just like the cats with four legs. But what I don’t like is when I feel someone look at me and feel sorry for me. I have never felt sad about my life. I am doing great! I am so incredibly lucky! So, if I am not feeling a loss, please don’t feel a loss on my behalf. It is something that I notice humans do. You often focus on what you think is missing instead of what you have. I see so many people with heavy hearts. I try to help lighten their load. But some people just like to continuously look at things negatively. That makes me sad. We want you to see the beauty in imperfection. Feel gratitude for the things you do have. And stop being so angry. It is such a waste of your beautiful energy.”
From Houdini: “I want to tell you a story. I want you to know where I came from because then you will understand why I am deeply grateful. My two friends Harley and Harriett and I all came from a place that brought us great pain and sadness. No one was taking care of us and we watched Harriett in particular struggling to survive. Harley and I stayed with her at all times. We never gave in to despair and we never gave up. We could hardly believe that we made it out of there. But we did. But then we were going to be separated. Harriett and Harley were going to come here to the farm and I was going somewhere else. My heart instantly broke when I saw them leave without me. We promised each other we would never be separated. We fought so hard. I managed to get out of my stall just in time before the trailer was going to leave. When the humans from here saw what was happening, they knew I had to come with them. They heard me! I will forever be grateful that they listened to us. It means everything to me and to the others too. I can rest easy now knowing that we are safe and we are together.”
From Ollie: “I am most grateful for tolerance. You see, I have not always been blessed with the gift of tolerance and have often formed opinions on things too quickly and jumped to wrong conclusions. Sometimes I was not very nice and I don’t think others really liked me either. But the most interesting thing happened. I found some humans and some cats who seemed to tolerate me, even though I wasn’t being my best. That tolerance that they showed to me became a gift that helped me learn to be more tolerant as well. I’m not saying I’m perfect at it. But what I learned is that being intolerant was something I did out of fear of connecting with others. I was afraid of being hurt. I am grateful to learn that the healing I needed was to be connected to others. Hearts are made to love one another. Hatred and intolerance comes from fear and it creates more fear and intolerance. But love creates trust and harmony. That is what I have come here to learn.”
From Harley: “I’m new at this but I wanted to give this a go. I am so grateful to be alive. There was a time I didn’t know if I could survive. But I did. My two friends, Harriet and Houdini, and I found angels that helped us out of the situation we were in. I am forever grateful for the friendship of Harriet and Houdini. We survived by sticking together.All for one and one for all. Nothing will divide the commitment and love we have for one another. We are all very different. But hard times taught us how very much alike we are. We survived because we helped lift each other up. And now, I can tell you how grateful I am to be in a very cute little body that people find irresistible. I love running fast and zooming around in circles. No one runs as fast as me. I am like the wind. I have so much ahead yet to do. I can’t wait to get to it all!”
From Lady Grey: “I am very grateful to know I have a home. Not long ago, I was out on the street desperately looking for help. Someone I cared about just let me outside and left. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I was lost. I had no food. There were cars everywhere. And people kept chasing me away. Then one lady stopped to help me. I was in bad shape and I knew it. I didn’t know what was going to happen next but I knew it had to be better than where I was. Now look at me. I don’t have to worry anymore. I love my friends. I really love my home here. And I know they will not forget me or cast me away. I have found a place where I belong. For this, I am very grateful and joyful.”
From Coco: “I am often so filled with gratitude that it makes me run around and bray with joy. I want to reach out to those of you who feel misunderstood. You see, I’m sort of a misfit myself. I’m a little different than the other donkeys. At first it made me sad that I didn’t fit in. But then I realized I am totally happy being me. I once held on to heartaches that troubled me deeply and made me less than the donkey that I am. I was grumpy. I was angry. I felt betrayed. But I have learned to set that aside. I am grateful not to carry that load anymore. It didn’t serve me well. But I was a little lost at first without it. Old grudges get to feel comfortable like an old dysfunctional friend. You know it is not good for you but you don’t have the ability to just let go and move on. It took someone to believe in me and listen to my pain for me to realize that it was ok to be happy again. And now here I am today. If you feel burdened with old pain, I’m here to tell you it’s ok to set it down and move on. You don’t need to carry that anymore. You’ll feel a lot better without it.”
From Molly: “If you look at me and the only thing you see is that I have no eyes, then you are not looking at me for who I am. I do not feel sorry for myself at all and I request that no one else feels sorry on my behalf either. I live a very rich and full life. In fact, I daresay that losing my eyesight gave me greater insight and vision on the very heart of life. I can navigate my environment very well. I am not afraid to use my inner vision to explore my outer world. I have learned that I can trust the people around me and the other horses with whom I live to not deceive me. When I first went blind, I was a career pony. And a darn good one too. I didn’t think there could be a life for me outside of the show ring. But I was so wrong. Once I came to the farm here, I met another pony named Annie who became my soul friend. Annie taught me that I could do anything I wanted to. We may have been discarded because we couldn’t live up to a life of being ridden by humans, but there was more to us than that. She believed in me. She was my eyes for me. When she died several years ago, I was sad of course. But I also knew that she lives always in my heart. I can see more through my heart than most of you see through your eyes. I wish you all the gift of inner vision. I can see your beauty through my heart.”