From Ginny: “I am grateful to know love and tenderness. I have had moments of pain in my life that were fairly challenging. Yet, what got me through them was the love shown to me by others who were helping me. The gift of love is a most amazing gift. And out of the love others showed to me, I found gratitude not just for them, but for every experience I ever had that brought me to them. Love is powerful. And gratitude is just as powerful too. The world needs love and gratitude. It takes so little each day to stop in wonder at the gifts around us. The sun. The moon. The stars. The grass. The flowers. My friends. This amazing planet we all share. Don’t forget to stop and give thanks. The world needs to know it is loved just as I needed to know that too – and so do all of you.”
Note: We will be running these messages until the end of March to help remind us all that there is much to be grateful and appreciative for in this world. There is so much fear right now and we hope these messages can help us all take a collective deep breath and remember that there is so much in this world to be thankful for…. and it’s going to be okay.
From Dawn Hayman: Today we stand on the threshold of one year ending and another beginning. We turn the page to a new chapter as we gently break in the binding of our book, remembering the last chapter, and eagerly starting the next to see where our story goes. Today is the start of a new decade, a new year, a new month, and a new day. The past 34 days we have shared with you some of the messages received from the animals who call this sanctuary home. It never ceases to amaze me how they see life and how they approach things with gratitude and unconditional love. We learn so much from all of them.
From Carley: “I have learned so much in such a short time. I’m still learning and I suspect I will be learning my whole life. You see, I didn’t start out in such a great place. But the truth is that I knew no other place before that, so I thought that where I was living was how it would be forever for me. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking things will never change. But the biggest thing I have learned is that actually things are always changing. Opportunities are waiting for us in unexpected places and sometimes at unexpected times. Because now, I know a whole different life. My other donkey friends who had started to give up on life are so much happier now that we are here. And I am now aware that the world can be a very beautiful place. I am here to say, never give up on hope. But, you must always remember, that change is not easy but if you want to see something different in your life, then change is what gets you there. This is what I have learned so far. I am grateful for every change I have experienced. It has brought me to where I am now and I am forever changed.”
From Belle: “I have done this message ritual for many years now. I actually requested to be a part of it again this year. I do not interact much with humans. Actually, that is not totally true. Humans just think that I don’t interact with them because I don’t like them handling me. But I actually am grateful for my human friends. They may not know this but I watch where they are all of the time. I know the running of this farm probably better than anyone. I know when to expect the caretakers to arrive and when they leave. I know when they are late and when they are here but not really totally here, if you know what I mean. I care about them. I have lived a life of my own choosing. I’ve made my own decisions. I’ve interacted in the ways I wanted to. Yet they have never given up on me or shut me out. I would like to let all of them know how much they mean to me. Because, even though I lost the last of my horse herd this year when Viva died, I still have my human family. They’ve never given up on me and for that I will always be grateful.”
From Woodward: “Sometimes gratitude is measured in tiny little steps rather than giant leaps. Life was rather difficult for me as I was outside trying to survive. And then an animal grabbed me and I thought I was going to die. I didn’t. But I couldn’t walk and I was helpless. A human found me and picked me up. I wasn’t used to humans and they were scarier than the animal that attacked me. But they brought me here and that’s when things started to change. Like water droplets, drip by drip, I started to understand a different kind of safety. In order for me to walk again, I needed their help. Sometimes the things we fear the most can offer the greatest healing and gifts. That is what I am learning. I can walk again. And play. And my purrs now represent a whole new level of happiness and understanding. I am grateful to be home.”
From Edith: “This is so exciting! I’m squealing with delight! This life is so full of opportunities. I am grateful for participating in all that I can. I had no idea that my life could be this fun and interesting. My mother and my siblings and I are very lucky pigs and we know it. I love to find out about everything around me. Cats, ducks, birds, people, dogs ….. I’ve met all sorts of interesting friends. I always stop and try to see how life is for them. What’s it like to be a cat? What do whiskers feel like? What’s it like to climb up high? I’m not really impressed with how they catch mice but oh well. They don’t understand why I like to roll in my tub either. I delight in learning about everyone. I am grateful for all of my life! I hope you find fun things too. Maybe you can come and visit and see what it’s like to be me!”
From Molly: “I am grateful for all of the smells that tell me what kind of day it is and what is happening. When I lost my eyesight, I thought my life was over. But I never could have dreamed how much it helped me to grow. I am grateful for this farm and everyone who creates and maintains this space for me to be safe and free to be who I really am. I can tell what my caretakers are feeding before they even reach my stall. I know what various grasses are in the hay and what variation we may have from the last feeding. I can tell what the weather is by the smell in the air. I can smell sunshine and I can smell rain. And I can feel everything around me. I know when people are happy or when they are sad. I understand so much more in my life now than when I could see. My world is not one of darkness. It is filled with more than I ever knew was there. I think people need to close their eyes more and open their hearts. You would be amazed at what little things you’d find to hold with gratitude.”
From Izzy: “I have done this every year for many years now. I am grateful to have the opportunity to do it again. One can never be too grateful in life. Gratitude can never be over expressed. I am old now. I am retired from the barn that I once was in charge of with my sister Bella. Now I live inside and I help with various projects going on here that are really important. I keep my eye on things always. I would like to make my message this year in honor of all the loved ones who are no longer with us in body but who are always alive in our hearts. Spirit never dies. Love never dies. It is important that we honor and remember that always. I am the keeper of memories. Loved ones are never forgotten. On this farm, the ones who have left are still a part of everything here. I know this for sure because I’ve been here for a long time and I have seen a lot of loved ones leave. But I can still feel all of them here just as I remember them. Let’s be grateful for our memories.”
From Mabel: “I am now and old woman and I have ever so much to be thankful for. One can never overstate the power of love. I have felt it and experienced this myself. Love can pull you through the hardest of times and help you reach for stars that you never thought to be possible. Love needs to be shared and felt and experienced. You cannot measure love but love will help you measure up to everything in your life. The greatest gift I know is the ability and freedom to love. Why do humans make this so complicated? I have an entire herd of donkeys that look up to me for guidance. And each of them also supports me in return. We all come from different backgrounds. We are all different ages. But when we stand together, we are present with one another in a sacred moment. I am grateful for those moments. Allow yourselves to find that in your lives too. You won’t regret it. I promise.”
From Flora: “I’m not particularly a chatty kind of goat. But I am grateful for friends. I have watched most of my friends die of old age or illness. I never thought I’d be the last one. Sometimes I get lonely and miss them. But then I realize that they are always with me in my thoughts. I am grateful to have known the gift of friendship, even when I miss it, at least I know that it is there inside of me still. And I know one day I will see all my friends again.”
From Henry: “At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer this question as I don’t always know what to say or how to say it. I didn’t feel that I’m good enough to answer. But, then I reconsidered after a little encouragement. I am a simple kind of guy. But my life has never been very simple. I tried and tried to make my body conform to the demands people put on me over time. It is not that I was stubborn. I tried my darndest but always seemed to come up short. I am not an athlete. I’m not even all that smart. But the one thing that always got missed on me is that I deeply feel things. No one seemed to notice that. This sanctuary truly has been a blessing to me. It is not just my body that found rest but my soul has found a deeper healing. I may not always be noticed because I’m not the flashiest horse around. But I am learning that it is ok to simply be me. I am grateful to have gotten that opportunity.”
From Olivia: “I am grateful for all I’ve learned. Age has offered me an opportunity to be wiser. I may move a bit slower now but I do so with more purpose. Whereas in my younger years I took any step just to move and didn’t care where that took me, now in my older years I take each step with purpose. I have more of a plan now. Years of learning has given me a more specific map inside myself. I realize now that every moment is one to savor and not to wasted thinking of somewhere I should have been or should not have gone. I took a misstep when I was young and it cost me one of my legs. But, had I not stepped into the trap that I couldn’t see, I wouldn’t have gotten here. And the real trap would have been for me to give up and throw away my life with the leg that I lost. Instead, I got up on the other three and took each step more gracefully and thoughtfully. I am grateful for everything in life. I don’t concentrate on the leg I have missing. I am grateful for the three I have left. They still got me where I was supposed to go and I ended up right where I needed to be.”
Today we had to say good-bye to our wonderful goat Lindy. Lindy had been with us since 2008 when she came with several other goats who were being sent to slaughter as they were being “liquidated” from a petting zoo. All of them lived out their lives here with us. Lindy was the last survivor of that group. Over the past few months, Lindy had been diagnosed with a mass in her bladder. She immediately received hospice care as we knew the placement of the mass unfortunately made it inoperable. Drugs helped reduce the obstruction temporarily and pain meds kept her comfortable. But the mass eventually grew to the point where Lindy could no longer urinate and we knew we had to let her go. Her last day here was spent enjoying all of her favorite treats from peppermints to Twinkies. She was pampered and doted on by her caretakers. Our hearts go out to Lindy’s goat companion Flora who misses her very much.
From Mary Beth: “I am grateful for every single breath I take. I may have been born with challenges but those challenges became incredible opportunities for me. I am surrounded by friends and so much love. I never could have imagined this. My heart is so full each time I greet another day and see the people who I hold close to my heart and all my donkey and horse friends too. And I even have pigs for friends now as well. Life is good. There is never a breath that leaves my body that I take for granted. I have received the greatest gift of all, the gift of being treasured for who I am. I will never forget this.”
On December 10th, we said an unexpected good-bye to a horse who was born on this farm 28 years ago. Meloudee only knew one farm as his home for his entire life. Our loss is huge. His story needs to be told because Meloudee stood for all this farm is about. In fact, he is one of the founding horses who helped shape the mission and birth of Spring Farm CARES. There is only one more of those original horses left.
From Lucy: “Well, I am grateful to be asked this question! I thought Dawn was going to pass right on by me as she was heading toward those crazy donkeys. Nah, that’s not true. I actually really like the donkeys. When we raise our voices together in song, it is a true masterpiece. I am grateful for so many things. I am after all pretty much in charge of everything here on the farm. I know every coming and going. Every year, we all look back together on the friends we’ve lost and the new friends who have come to join us. It feels like I’ve been a part of the fabric of this farm for 100 years. I can feel the energy beneath my feet. I feel the earth and the water and the air all around me. I almost left my body this year as I got a bit weak, but it was not my time to go. The humans took care of me to get me stronger but honestly it was the energy of this farm that lifted me back up and set me sturdy on these two legs. It is time we are all grateful for the Earth. Her heart beats right along with ours. That is what I wish to be grateful for and I hope you find that too.”
From Ginny: “We have seen a lot of change around this farm this year. There has been a big renewal in hope and faith and dreams. I’m not really sure the humans actually stop to take enough time to realize this. They see fencing projects and new pastures and building renovations and lots of work. But we animals see security and trust and hope being planted and nurtured and growing. My hope is for everyone hearing this message to find one thing today to be grateful for and hopeful about. Don’t let hopelessness cloud your day. There is always something to reach for and each of you have a seed of hope to give to someone else. I hope you can plant a seed today for me.”
From O’Malley: “I am and always will be grateful for my friends. I have human friends and cat friends that are just the greatest critters you can imagine. I love being loved. To me, it is what life is all about. I couldn’t imagine life without love. There was a time though that I thought I’d never find that. If you find yourself thinking the same thing, I can tell you that you need to think again. The greatest way to find love is to love someone yourself. If you love, love will find you. And when you love yourself and where you are, you will see absolute magic happen. That doesn’t mean I don’t have bad days. Sometimes I get sad and frustrated too. But then my friends step in and make it all better again.”
From Felix: “I am most grateful for my friends. At night, when it’s quiet, I am comforted by the breathing of all the animals around me. One of the sheep snores. Luna the goat dreams silly things and makes funny sounds. The horses all take turns resting and their breathing changes throughout the night. And my buddy Leo stands close and sometimes I can even hear his heart beating. It is comforting to know the breathing of friends. Life is precious. I am grateful for every breath around me.”
From Merlin: “Ahhh, everything in life brings about gratitude for me. Sometimes, it can be that first taste of a really good grape. Or the first light of the day greeting me. Or the sound of my humans singing in the morning. I’m grateful for that whistle that gets humans to follow me in song. I whistle then they whistle. Funny thing is that people think it’s the other way around. They think I mimic them, but in reality, they are the ones being trained by me! I get great joy watching how the human brain works. But, my hope for the world is that we all learn to mimic kindness in one another. Just like humming a catchy tune. Maybe we could all be kind and let it spread like a great tune or a catchy rhyme. That is my hope.”
From Piper: “I was born without eyesight. In fact, I do not even have any eyes. Yet, I see the world clearly. Maybe differently than you do, but clearly. My world is very alive to me. I can find a string in the dark that you can’t even see with your eyes. I can tell who all my cat friends are even though I haven’t seen them. Sometimes when you can’t see something you need to learn to trust that it is really there. If I spent my life doubting what was around me, I’d never have found joy in even one thing. Instead, I find joy in everything. I may not see it, but I experience it. I feel it. I am grateful for every single thing in my life. All of it. By losing my eyes, I gained a whole world of beauty in a different way. Life is very good. I hope you can feel that.”