How many days do we find ourselves on repeat? Get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, have dinner, do homework with the kids, and then go to bed....repeat the next day. Couples find that they cannot get out of the everyday routines and there is nothing new in their days. Sometimes life is always just on repeat and many never feel as if life is fulfilling. I know that feeling all too well. After leaving my full time job because finding a babysitter to match my work schedule was nearly impossible with two little kids we made the decision for me to stay home. Life just became one big button of repeat! I craved more for my life and after a while I started to see the effects in my marriage and in my own personal health. We are wired to crave a purpose, it is an innate instinct. God created all of us with purpose, but how we all get there and what it is we may never know till we actually talk to him about it.
After months of running myself down, I made the decision that I was going to focus on The Lord and I was going to stop the repeat button. Something needed to change, but I needed him to tell me what it was going to be. So I started praying and just spending a few quiet minutes with him everyday. Finally, I heard the words "you know your purpose and it's time." It took a whole month after this for me to actually step forward to my husband or anyone else, but I knew 8 years ago what the Lord wanted me to do. I was scared then and I was more than scared now.
My family has owned and operated a small farm for 116 years and this in it's own right has been a challenging feat, but my parents have started to talk about the "Next generation"..... My husband and Myself. What do I want to do with the farm? I knew it was my time to speak up! I want to create a place for Therapeutic riding, animal assisted activities and horticulture therapy. HUH??? Was most of the looks except my husbands (he is a therapist too)! I want to bring in horses! Do I still want to keep my family's heritage (ABSOLUTELY!!!), so everything remains separated and the nonprofit is only able to lease portions of land for a restricted amount of horses :) This is important to me, but I wanted to bring in something new, something that gives back to others in a way that not everyone has ever thought about.
So in October of 2014, I started the hardest process I have ever gone through in my life! With the help of so many other individuals and organizations, I wrote a business plan. I did not attend business school :( Looking back I think I should have minored in it! Thank goodness for all my friends with business degrees :). I chose to follow my heart and by December of 2014 God was telling me I was on the right path because two horses were walking in the barn as a rescue right before Christmas! As things began to progress, a lot of people told me there was no way this could be done, then my family and myself was run through the mud on social media. The negativity was hard to swallow, but I just continued to pray that things would be alright and that God wanted me to do this. As brochures got out and newspaper articles and even public speaking events happened, donations came in. As I prayed one night that I didn't think sessions would be possible by spring of 2016 because just not enough money came in off a fundraiser, I was feeling like a failure. The next day a Big donation arrived and the arena was built! I couldn't believe how much God was providing for the organization. I constantly feel blessed by God in every aspect. Just when I couldn't find a PATH mentor, I was finally able to get in contact with someone and I am now traveling to Slippery Rock two days a week for training! I am so grateful that I finally took the steps to fulfill my purpose, just by listening to what I was told 8 years ago in that college classroom! God tells us things at random times if we are truly listening with all our heart. I am thankful I was listening back then because it changed the entire course of my whole life. However, I think that in the next couple weeks, my life is about to get a whole lot sweeter because I too will once again be "back in the saddle" of helping others just in a whole new role!
