a week of things.

07/31 - 08/04

i look back over this week & think wow. we made it. 

we didn't die of heat exhaustion even though there was times i was certain that it would be an easier solution then trying to stay cool. 

& everyone managed to remain calm even though at times it felt like it was impossible. 

monday a rancher announced her graduation planned for thursday. this elevated the emotions on the ranch to a whole new level. we had already been anticipating family day & home visits at the end of this week so well let's just say the mentors on duty really had a lot to work through with the ranchers. 

mr. keith from lakin arrived late afternoon on monday with a load of hay. thank you for your generosity lakin people. while mr. doug unloaded the truck mr. keith & i toured around the ranch in the ranger. chatting with someone from that western kansas land made me lonesome & got me thinking about y'all :)

 

live in the moment. find joy in small things. this week my plan was to slow down even though it was busy & really realize the small things that make me smile.  like the slow tuesday ms. sam & i enjoy. &  the sights & sounds of the coffee shop we sit in : the wedding planner & the bride to be discussing plans, the young girl having her devotions, the two men discussing how God is working in their lives, & just the way this place feels. & browsing the barnes & noble kids book selection. to take a run in the rain & to read shel silverstein while drinking tea. to sit on the lawn mower & get all dusty. to gaze up at the giant moon & to watch the sun rise. this week i found a whole lot more but here was just a few of the little things that made me smile. 

i have been learning that one just has to become a relative to the swamp monster here in this state during summer. graduation on thursday began at 7:00 p.m. down at the tack shed & yes it was still incredibly warm & very swampish. about 60 people were here to celebrate this evening with our rancher. mr. doug on comanche,  ms. sharla on tex  & our graduate on her flicka rode down the hill & the ceremony began. 3 songs by the ranch & then our rancher shared on the impact the ranch had on her life. " if you don't believe in miracles just come spend some time here at the ranch." her parents followed with the same. how the ranch impacted them & their home. ranch sisters shared bits of encouragement & then those that were a part of her journey here shared. it was a short but very beautiful ceremony. we feasted on cake & drank scrumptious punch. ms. sam & i left shortly after to go play volleyball. 

the highly anticipated day of the week was friday. family day at the ranch & we had a lot of things to accomplish before this day could arrive. during horsemanship monday & wednesday, we focused on perfecting all the challenges that the obstacle course held. like popping balloons with a pointy stick while on horseback or riding your stead through a path of floppy pool noodles. the ranchers put a lot of pressure on themselves & watching them reach their goal of succeeding was really a vey wonderful thing. 

& so friday arrived. we began the day at 7:45 with a prayer. each rancher had her family here & one authority was assigned to each to guide them through the day. ms. regina & i were with a larger group together. our day went in the order of breakfast, yard games, down to horsemanship (which went exceptionally well for our rancher) & up to the house for lunch. then we moved to sand trays with ms. lora. sand tray therapy is a form of play therapy & i like it. 

here is my tray from this day. to you it looks like random objects placed in a blue tray of sand but to me it says a lot more. our last & final stop was collage art. watching the families work together & let their imaginations run was interesting. we gathered round at 4:00 had a prayer & away went the girls with their families for a week long home visit. 

& just like that the ranch was quiet.

what a day. 

what a week. 

till next time 

ms. tif