Changes and life

Today is a new day! Rejoice and be glad in it!  Wow everyday we are faced with changes!  Changes in our attitude, changes in the weather, changes in the world, changes in the government, changes in our health, changes in our children, grandchildren, spouses, even our parents as they or we get older.  Everywhere we turn there are unexpected and expected changes.   This year I have learned so much from the many changes in my life.   This year has been a year for me to work on forgiveness and trust.   I have learned about letting go.   I have learned about appreciation.  I have learned there is a season for everything under heaven.  I had the honor of visiting a therapeutic riding center in Ill for the past couple of days and enjoyed renewing old friendships.   Realized that age has no bearing on how much we can accomplish.  As we remain dedicated and passionate and let go of some of our control and turn it over to others and God it makes is so much easier.   I have the good fortune to make a trip to Minnesota this weekend to revisit and renew more old friendships.  It is what God has in mind.   Changes in horses as they come and go. We welcome our new Tennessee Walking Horse Buddy.  Blue our Gypsy horse will be leaving for some training.  Then I am going to visit an Icelandic horse for potential donation.   Wow so many changes and our old horses just go with the flow.   I need to learn to just lean back and go with flow and not get so anxious about everything.  There is a time and a season for everything under heaven.

As we look at the many changes.  Please visit our website for our new attachments.  We are now on twitter, blog, facebook and yes even You Tube.  Please visit our page and print out our new annual appeal forms.  We would love to include you in our wonderful benefit package for being a donor.   Just fill out the form and mail it back with a check, or credit card.  We are offering a variety of options this year.  So I hope you will visit our website at www.aspiretrp.org and join us in helping ASPIRE be the best it can be in 2012.   Blessings for a great weekend.  Remember to take in the beauty of the changing of the seasons. 

Disabilities

An acquaintance posted this on her facebook page!  I remember this well!   I was not sure what was going on I just knew it was not normal.   I loved being in Holland!   I loved the challenge!  I loved the new books, and the workshops learning all I could about my child's disability.   I found that working with these children created a humbleness inside that I would have never felt without knowing about the disability.   I went through a great deal of loss and grief and learned to accept that I would never again be in Italy!  The beauty surrounding us sometimes becomes gray and dark dealing with the issues at hand.  I never dreamed I would be in the places I have been with this child.   I also know that my child taught about love, hate, anger, play but most of all he taught me the precious moment of everyday.   You see not only do I have children with disabilities, I have a number of family members with disabilities.  Life can get interesting when surrounded by it everyday.  The Lord put me in this place because I am strong and I love working and living with them.   That does not mean that some days aren't  hard.   Some days we need to take a break.  Some days we need to cry and even scream.  The day is done and we look back I would not change being in all the different places with all the different people.   My trip to Holland has been awesome!  Each and every stage took me to a different country and I am still experiencing those different countries with the children I serve and now my grandchildren.  I would not trade it for anything!  The Lord has blessed my life with these loving a beautiful children!  They are precious and beautiful because they are children of God.   God does not make junk!   They are all very special.  Have a beautiful weekend!   Enjoy the weather and breathe in the fresh air.   Blessings and peace. 

"Welcome to Holland"
By Emily Perl Kingsley, 1987. All rights reserved.
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to im...agine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland

The Important Things in Life

I have been reading so much about relationships with humans, relationships with dogs and the great service they provide.  I know there are many people that are struggling.  I would like to pause for a moment and discuss the important things in life.  Life is important to all of us in very different forms.  Importance to some is a beautiful house, beautiful car, beautiful furniture, beautiful and perfect children, being a perfect spouse, being a perfect employee or employer, being a perfect parent or grandparent.   Why do we think that all these things matter?  Why do we have to have stuff?  Why do we think we have to be perfect?   What is really important?  When our earthly life is ended do we really think that any of this is going to matter?   I live in a beautiful home and I share almost my entire home with coworkers, volunteers, husband, grandchildren, children, riders, dog and cat.  I share my property with literally hundreds of people every year. I have a den with two chairs and tv.   I have a nice bedroom.   I share the rest of the house to the public.   What is important?   At the end of the day I pray and thank God for giving me the ability to give back to those people that are less fortunate.   I pray ASPIRE and our beautiful horses have touched many lives.  I pray that our horses provide therapeutic moments forever.  You see ladies and gentlemen it does not matter if you are around them on the ground or on their backs or just hanging out with them you will find a therapeutic moment everyday for all the days of your life you are around them.  I know one lady that is around 80 and she continues to be around horses because it is what keeps her going.   I know teenagers that have found horses to be a positive outlet during those troubling years.  I pray each and every day that those that enter our doors will receive the positive impact that these animals have had on my life.   It is disheartening when parents no longer find this a positive service for their children.  I will cherish those that love and will continue to love these animals that give 150% of their hearts and souls to everyone.   I have learned so many things from these powerful and majestic animals.  I believe that animals can be a catalyst for many changes.   We must open our hearts and minds to the differences they can make.  What is important?  God must come first and then the relationships, how we treat each other and what we give back to each other are the most important.   I think when it is all said and done we will be judged on the relationships, the great memories we build and the differences we make in the earthly world we live in.   Go now with peace and love and make those differences.

Volunteer Recognition

It hardly seems our active season is about to come to a close in a couple of weeks.   Where has the time gone?  So much has occurred over the past 10 months.  Change is the word.  Big changes, little changes. Amazing events.   Amazing staff and truly awesome volunteers.  This program would not be the same without the individuals that dedicate their time and effort to make ASPIRE run smoothly .   Thank you so much to the volunteers that give their time in the barn, class, office, events and concessions. Thank you to all the awesome interns that assist with camp, events, office work and much more.  Your time, talent and skills makes ASPIRE operate on a day to day basis.   IT IS TIME TO HONOR these great individuals and groups.   We will also honor riders and our beautiful horses.  Each individual, horse, rider and family makes a big difference in the wonderful benefits that everyone receives from participating in ASPIRE.   ASPIRE is celebrating 12 years of service.   Honoring these individuals, horses, riders and staff seems like a small token of thanks for all they do.    Honor them we will on November 3rd at St Paul's United Methodist Church, 207 W. Louise Street, Waterloo, Iowa, 6:00 p.m.  There will be a free chili dinner and slideshow.   Your are welcome to come and join us in giving thanks to all these wonderful individuals, horses, and riders.  Special honor will go to Volunteer of the Year, Horse of the Year.    Thank you Lord for blessing our lives with wonderful riders, volunteers, staff and our beautiful horses.  Thank you all for making my job easier this year.  Thank you for your assistance with all of our instructors.   Thank you each and every horse for making a difference in the lives of our riders.   Thank you to our beautiful riders and families for participating.  Thank you Cody for making a difference in nearly 1000 peoples lives this year.   It has been a year of changes, love, beauty, and learning.  Love, peace and hugs for a beautiful day.

Life in the fast lane

Slow down you move to fast.  Got to make the morning last.   Are we living our life to fast?  Do you take time to smell the freshness of the autumn breeze? Do you take time to play in the leaves?  Do you take time to bliss in the beautiful sunrises and sunsets during this beautiful season?  Do you take time to tell the people you love, "I Love You"?   Do you take time to spend quality time with your spouse, children, grandchildren, family, friends and pets?   Do you take time each day to thank God that you are blessed with a beautiful life and wonderful surroundings?   There are so many that feel like life is not a bed of roses all the time.  We never know how much people are suffering, lonely, lost, starving for food and affection.  We don't know how many people don't even have a roof over their heads or at least a safe roof over their heads.   I am so blessed to have a beautiful home, awesome animals, awesome employees, awesome husband, beautiful grandchildren, awesome family, supportive children, wonderful volunteers, wonderful supporters, beautiful children that ride our horses and families that support ASPIRE by bringing their children each week.  I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to see these children prosper and gain strengths in all areas of their life.  I am truly blessed to have rewarding job on this beautiful land.  Thank you Lord for blessing my life and thank you for blessing me with ASPIRE.  Lord I can't wait for each day to see what it brings!!!!   Thank you Lord for blessing my life with all the beautiful horses, dog and cats.  Thank you Lord for blessing my life with the wonderful people that have crossed my path over the many years.   I have met so many wonderful people.   Words are not enough to express my gratitude.   I sincerely wish you a wonderful day with lots of peace and blessings.  I wish everyone the best life ever.