I Never Tire of this Sight

I have always felt so blessed by God that my dad has allowed us to live and raise our children on his farm.  Truly it is a wonderful way to raise children.  We haven’t had any kind of formal TV piped into our home for 15 years.  The children don’t spend only a handful of hours a week playing any kind of recreational video games.  Usually, only on the weekends Stephen, their big brother, comes down to visit twice a month.  Our home is not cluttered or overrun with toys as having so many special needs kids most things for them to do are fun, but educational.  I am sharing all this to say that living here on Sanctuary Farm, being out side, has been the bulk of their free time and existence all their life.  Playing on the play ground, spending time helping me garden or assisting me on our many projects I always seem to have going on around here.  Swimming, fishing and exploring.  Playing with baby goats, ponies, chicks, kitties, bunny or what ever animals we happen to have at the moment.  This is their life.  These are their memories.  These are my memories. These are our family memories.

One of these memories (sights)  is burned into my mind.  For I have watched them (Zeke and Carolyn) go thru this ritual twice a day every day for seven years since they were very small.  My dad also has commented often that he enjoys looking out his back door over the field and seeing the children doing this morning and night as well.  And this is what we see.

 Over the years it is always the same beautiful image to me.  The children lovingly walking down their ponies for the day to graze.....

... and back up again at dusk.   As the years have gone by the children have slowly grown taller and ponies have been changed out a few times as the kids have grown.   

               Seven years ago after riding in the fields!

But it is always the same, day after day, for seven years, marking the begining and end of the day for them here on Sanctuary farm.  It is memories.  It is farm life.  It builds character and is work.  And they love, love, love every moment of it.  I have never seen them grow tired of it.  I could not imagine starting a day out with out this sight every morning.  OR calling it a night with out seeing them walking them up to tuck them in their stalls for the night. 

If I happen to be out in the field or in the barn milking as they go thru their pony care.  Yes, their actions are  methodical from caring for ponies for so many years. but their hands and faces show the gentleness, tenderness and love over being able to have and take care of these animals.

We rotate the fields that we graze the ponies in and sometimes it is a long walk twice a day for them all. Not only the walk down to the field but the ponies could be on the farthest side away.   They don't mind one bit.

 There's the catching.  Carolyn catching Millie

Zeke catching Dixie,

 There's the haltering. A halter is hard for a special needs child to figure out how it goes on and for Zeke buckles are extremely hard for him.

Look how patient Dixie is being for him.  They are best friends.

 There's the twice a day grooming.

 She works so hard to get Millie so neat and clean. 

There's the twice a day hoof picking.

Making sure there are no rocks or stones in there.

 All the hugs!

And kisses!

 There are just no words for this kind of living.  Abundantly blessed.  Memories that last a life time.  Not only will I never grow tired of this site.  I look forward to it every day.

Psalm 96:11-13 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.  Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

May the Lord God of Israel be with you now and always.  

susan