Come this time of the week my thoughts turn to what’s been currently happening locally, nationally, and worldwide. A tip passed on from my Grandma B was to, “never stop trying to learn, never let your brain get lazy,”….and then she’d hit me with the “use it or lose it” type of lingo. 😳 She knew her stuff, but of course I didn’t realize that until late into my 20s when she was nearing the end of her 80+ years here with us.
Something that always stuck out about my grandparents was that they all passionately loved animals!! ❤️ 🐾 On mom’s side they owned and ran a farm with everything from goats, chickens, horses, and cows. Then on dad’s side they always had at least 2 dogs in the house at all times – and this was back in the “doghouse” days before most people let the dog stay in the house. I’m seeing a lot of Animal/Pet therapy thoughts and practices in the family, before they were even referred as therapeutic!!
I’m involved in a few #animal therapy programs locally and nationally that continue to amaze me! A top favorite inspiration is The Herd Institute, founded and managed by a passionate, loving, and incredibly educated leader, Dr. Veronica Lac. Thanks to her permission, I’m excited to introduce her therapeutic horse program. After volunteering with her for a few years at a local stable she left me in amazement at what an enormous effect these strong and loving creatures have to offer us all. So much I can say about this wonderful program, and that’s the future plan! We didn’t even get started talking about the therapy certification programs or the national hands on conferences and retreats! More to come,….
After experiencing life altering trauma and abuse first hand, everything changed, not my love of animals though; I always had that with me. Memories of adopting every stray cat in the neighborhood and receiving their latest kill as a gift,…😬Well? Comical times when they’d start to bicker over who got the prime spot in front of our door. Cat Fight! Thankfully mom carried and passed on the peacefulness and love of nature to all of us around her. She showed me how to milk a goat and how to stand your ground when a larger than life horse looked like he was going to eat me?!!! She started this natural appreciation for animal therapy!
This peaceful, gracious energy that these animals brought with them has been a saving grace in times when it felt like life really wasn’t worth living another day. That and an extremely strong foundation rooted in God’s promises of faith, hope, and love that were learned early on.
Thanks for stopping in this week! Love and peace, strength and healing! 💜✨
What a gift you have. Yes, we must never let our brain get lazy.
Oh thank you! So glad you stopped in to read this. Animal Therapy has been a huge help for daily and my extreme anxiety levels! Glad to connect with you here.