Our second family camp weekend is over and it went so smoothly this time.  I learned from the previous weekend and got more assistance, added another riding class, more small saddles, took boots to the arena for riders wearing tennis shoes.  This weekend I felt prepared and the classes were full of "happy campers" and happy parents.  I am encouraged and tired in a good way.  I enjoy working with the kids just  look at those smiles.  Something new is always happening at camp, we had 3 lambs born Friday and I have been taking care of them over the weekend.  The camp is quiet and peaceful now.  Everyone has left to go back home.  I stay here with the horses and get to enjoy this beautiful place to myself this evening. What a wonderful way to end the weekend.  Enjoying the present moment and where I am blessed to be.

GO back to it-MY SOUL

The highest form of intelligence is being able to observe yourself without judging yourself.~ Deepak Choprah.  

I want to go back to who I am.  To my SPIRIT.  After a year of struggling with understanding why my life has turned upside down, I think I am getting closer to accepting and seeing it as a transformation opportunity.  I want to love and forgive and be a blessing to others in my life. I can't do that if I hold onto negative energy and don't let go.  I will never understand but I know that I am more than what has happened to me. I will learn to communicate better, to set healthy boundaries, to be aware and confront when my gut tells me to. I will remember the past (but I am not victimized by it), I am going to celebrate the present.  In God I move and breath and have my being.  I will remind myself that I have my spiritual self and I don't want to get confused by what others say or think I am.  I have a choice to make in the kind of energy I give and receive. To be aware of God  in me always.  The most important time in your life is NOW, the best way to prepare for your future is to be present NOW.

A Busy Week

This is the beginning of a busy time at camp.  We have family camp for the next two weekends.  We had 150 people here this weekend.  I planted LOTS of flowers. I had horseback classes for 6 hours on Saturday and one hour on Sunday.  We painted the horses in the mornings and I gave rides in the arena in the afternoon.  We played horse games like egg and spoon, potato drop and jousting.  I think it all went well and I am tired in a good way.  It is satisfying to be doing something that comes so naturally to me.  I love the kids and I love the horses.
The vet and the farrier are coming out tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.  Another busy day giving shots to 60 horses.  Last night I stopped and looked up at the night sky, the stars were amazingly bright and I reminded myself to enjoy the present.  To take time to realize what I have to be grateful for in this day.  This week I am grateful for the great weather, the people I work with that are fun and supportive, the horses that are my therapy (it is wonderful to have such a great variety of 60 horses to choose from), my boys who send me little presents(from Columbia) in the mail and call to check in, the massage I got today after a year and a half without one (lots of knots in my neck and shoulders), the horse crazy little girls that love to hang out at the barn, for a God that gives all of this and had it planned for my life. 
Do we have the power to do the things to make us happy?  Yes, with God's guidance and we listen to that voice within.  May you be blessed with a sense of purpose!

Happy Easter Everyone

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and that you are able to go outside and see the awesome wonder that our Lord has before our eyes. NEW LIFE!

There was a beautiful moon last night and I took this picture of the horses grazing by the water tank. This is the water crossing at the entrance of the camp and I have been going down in the evenings and jumping in the river to cool off. A gift from God to sit in the cool water and cool down while watching the ducks and feeling the soft breeze on my skin.

I am surrounded by the beauty of spring. Blake and Mom are coming today to stay for the weekend. I am looking forward to spending time with them. We will cook out on the grill and enjoy the outdoors.

As we celebrate Easter, I think of the gift of life we have been given and I love this verse from Romans 8:11-

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to you mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Invasion of the body snatchers

Yep, I think this is the culprit. I woke up a few nights ago to discover that the rabbit cage had been broken into and one rabbit was gone, one was dead. I set a trap under the cage and caught a wild tom cat the first night. The second night I caught this raccoon. He was missing his right front paw so I think he was caught in a trap before. I took him down the road 5 miles and let him go.

It has been a busy week at Camp Lonehollow. We had a sick skunk show up in the barn, sick horses that are getting penicillin shots for shipping fever, the rabbit incident, etc.

It hasn't been all bad news. I had good friends come for the weekend and we enjoyed beautiful weather. We spent the afternoon at the river, fishing and swimming. I love it that I have had a life that has prepared me for all of this. I have a knowledge of how to set traps, doctor horses, and even animal behavior with catching a skunk (without getting sprayed). When you look back on your life do you see how God is preparing you for something? Little or big it is wonderful to see how he uses us.