Ahhhh….a couple days off again – after a busy week with guests, lots of GLORIOUS RAIN, a new baby in our family, and a bear in the tree outside the front door of the Lodge!!
So the "bear incident" happened on my day off a couple weeks ago, so I missed all the excitement!! Apparently there was a bear who had been “exploring” around the neighborhood (i.e. some of the employee housing not far away from here), then decided to head straight for the smell of the food in the kitchen! From what I hear through the grapevine, it wandered around the Lodge a few times checking things out – and instead of leaving (duh!!) when people tried to chase him off, he climbed a tree just outside the front door of the Lodge (very near the Front Desk)!!
Well sadly, the bear chose the wrong tree to hang out in because the “wildlife management team” on the Ranch had no choice but to shoot him out of the tree! Now on the one hand, I feel kinda sad for the bear; but on the other hand, I didn’t REALLY want him hanging around (considering the fact that the LAST bear that found its way into the Lodge a couple years ago made it all the way upstairs where I sleep!! Apparently, bears have a one-track mind once they've tasted food - they will keep hanging around until they track down their next "fix" (and they seem to just LOVE sweets - last time they consumed the WHOLE basket of candy downstairs by the back door, wrappers and all)!! I kinda felt let down that it all happened on my day off (and I missed all the drama and excitement of seeing a BEAR up close and personal!!!), but on the other hand I think it would have broken my heart to see him shot out of the tree!! So I guess it’s better that I was tucked away in my room – probably reading a book or two – which is my way of “enjoying nature” (sitting in my comfy chair with my windows wide open, letting in all that nature through a screen)!!
So that’s one of the “big events” in my life in the last week! The other one is the birth of my great-nephew, Andrew!! He was born to my niece (Michelle) and her husband (Josh) on July 8th in Indiana. His birth has been anxiously, joyously and long-awaited – and he was definitely worth the wait!!! I’m sad to say that I don’t get to see him or hold him right away, but I’m hoping to see him when I get done with my “adventure” here on the Ranch (probably sometime in November)!! It seems like a LONG time to wait, but I’m really looking forward to meeting him in person – and until then, Facebook has been my friend with lots of pictures and daily (hourly?) updates on his status!!
As for the bison, I think they DID predict the rain that we’ve been receiving (ahhhh….sweet, cool rain that’s created not only beautiful green fields for me to look at, but washed out roads and lightening storms that bring the guests back to the Lodge earlier than usual – sitting in a boat on a lake is NOT where you want to be when the lightening begins to strike)!! Now for those of you who have been following my blog since it began a few months ago, you might remember from a previous posting where I wondered whether the fact that almost ALL the female bison this year gave birth to a baby was some kind of prediction on their part – an instinctual knowing – that we would have plenty of rain in spite of the previous years of drought conditions!
According to some who have lived here for years, they don’t remember having this much rain at one time for many, many years!! Maybe that’s why I’m here for the season – to bring much-needed rain from Oregon – and cool weather because we all KNOW how much I dislike the dry, dusty fields and HEAT with no air conditioning!! So maybe now’s the time to confess that I’ve been doing rain dances every day since I arrived – naaaah – just kiddin’!! Maybe it’s just Mother Nature taking pity on me (and the rest of the animal kingdom on this Ranch) – knowing that SOME OF US cannot survive happily in the dry heat!!
I know I shouldn’t complain because I have it VERY good here – indoor plumbing (private, no less) and no creepy, crawly bugs trying to get into my bed!! I bring this up because I just finished reading a book called “Kisses from Katie.” It’s the story of a young woman fresh out of high school who moved to Uganda because she felt “called” there – you know…that “inner knowing” or calling which drives some of us to do things that don’t always make logical sense to those around us!!
It’s not the kind of book I would randomly pick up from a shelf and read (because of the very traditional “God language” and perspective from which it is written – not a “bad” thing, but just not my style!!). But it was given to me (and the other front desk girls) by one of our guests (someone who comes year after year and brings groups of friends for a week at a time). It was so sweet of her to package up for each of us some lovely personalized stationary, the book about Katie’s journey helping in Uganda, and a set of beads (made by Ugandan women in a nearby village – a “garbage village” where people survive by picking through the trash – sadly not the only place this happens in third world countries)!!
This ministry allows these women to gather together each day, create beads and necklaces made from recycled paper, and sell them to Katie (who then sells them to supporters through this website: www.Amazima.org). This ministry gives them the opportunity to provide food, clothing and a clean home for their children without having to “sell their soul” – or their body – to keep their children from starving. It also provides an environment for other kinds of “support services” within that village – taking care of the children, the widowed, the elderly (you know, the ones Jesus told us to take care of while he was here)!!
When she first arrived in Uganda, she worked in an orphanage and taught kindergartners (expecting only 10-20 but ending up with over 130 on the first day because it was free and the villagers really wanted their children to learn)!! She realized how many kids were unable to attend school because of the $20 it would cost them each semester, which led her to start a ministry raising money for kids to go to school!! Can you imagine not being able to send your child to school because of a mere $20 bucks?!?!?
Well she couldn’t either – and it sounds like she was very persuasive in sharing with those in her community in the States how inconceivable it was that a child was unable to learn in school due to a mere $20 each semester! Beyond the needs of school, though, these children also needed uniforms, school supplies – and eventually a healthy meal each day to help them learn without empty stomachs growling!! So she started a ministry that provides food, clothing and education for the children in the village to which she felt called (all for a mere $60 per child – or something like that – each semester)!!
She has also “adopted” (I think that means foster care which does not allow her to take them out of the country) 14 girls who have come into her life through various circumstances (death or abandonment by their parents, other “guardians” unable to care for them, extreme illness due to housing conditions and malnutrition, etc.)!! With each child who she now cares for and loves as her own, she felt that “pull” – that Guidance from somewhere other than her logical brain – that this child was hers. She houses, clothes, provides food and care for, and loves them (from the way she describes it in her book) "the way any birth mother would love her own child – seeing them as a precious gift to be nurtured and taught what it means to be loved unconditionally."
As she described the horrific living conditions, the illnesses they’ve been afflicted with (due to a lack of clean, running water and malnutrition – not because their guardians didn’t care but because they don’t have the RESOURCES to take care of simple, basic human needs), and the “creepy crawlies” all over their bodies, I was reminded of Mother Teresa who said she could “see the face of Jesus” (a.k.a. loving our fellow human being and being able to see the Light/Soul within) in every man, woman and child she came across – and THAT is why she served them so selflessly!! Being as squeamish as I am, it’s hard for me to imagine snuggling a child who is covered in scabies (or any number of diseases, smells, etc. that she’s had to deal with in the work she’s been doing in Uganda), but I know from my visits to Guatemala that a sort of “love-blindness” can envelop us which can overcome our squeamishness!!
There were moments as I read her story that I found myself crying – not from sadness because of the horrible challenges and conditions she and the children have lived through – but because there is something about her purity of faith that touched my heart deeply. Maybe it’s the faith of someone so young she doesn’t know better than to trust and believe – so she just keeps trusting that “someone greater than herself” will provide – and she’s never fully surprised when her needs are completely taken care of in a way she could not predict!! Maybe that’s why we are supposed to live life with the “faith of a child” – not a life that has become permeated with the cynicism and skeptical perspectives of adults who have seen and lived through multiple disappointments over the years!
Even more than her purity of faith, however, I think what brought me to tears over and over was her ability to continue showing love, trust, and compassion in a country with so much need – meeting the needs of whoever was brought into her path in whatever way she could in that moment. At one point in the book, she describes how she cried out in frustration because she felt overwhelmed with all the needs around her. She received the message “you are here merely to love – and to act from that place of love in whatever way you can in THIS moment with THIS person” (or something along those lines).
Maybe it’s some of the challenges I’ve experienced since my arrival here on the Ranch which caused this book to impact me so palpably – or maybe it’s just an amazing account of a young woman who has not just survived, but THRIVED in some pretty horrendous conditions because she knows she is where she is “meant to be.” She has such a grateful heart and compassionate spirit – and is rewarded with the love of the children whose lives she’s touched in life-changing and powerful ways!! What a powerful example of someone who heard the “call” – felt it deeply in her Soul – and then responded in a way that many of us cannot even being to imagine!!
Then again, I don’t think we are meant to compare our experiences with those of others and critique them – leaving us feeling inferior (or superior) for the choices we’ve made. But I DO think it is sometimes helpful to use the journeys of others as reminders about what might be missing in our lives (or at least use their stories as good lessons for us to consider on our own journey)! For example, I couldn’t help but think to myself that I “should” be able to handle whatever comes my way because my struggles are nothing compared to the challenges this young woman has gone through on HER journey of faithfully living out her spirituality.
But what I found more helpful as I read the description of her journey (and then processed my response to her experience) is that rather than judging myself as “wimpy” or “pathetic” for not being able to handle a few challenges in my life here on the Ranch – her journey is a clear reminder (a new “mantra” if you will) that all I need to do is remember to LOVE!! No matter where I am or what I’m doing (or how people are treating me), remembering to come from a place of love for myself and others – and meeting whatever needs I feel called to meet (mine or theirs) – is what I feel “called” to do with each growth-filled step in my journey!!
I oftentimes like to look through the pictures saved on my computer and use inspiring ones as my desktop so that whenever I open my laptop, I'm met with a "breath of fresh air" – a picture that reminds me of the beauty and goodness in life!! So the other day I found this one that said "When we raise our vibrational frequencies to LOVE, new doorways to healing appear before us...." This is such a great reminder that choosing LOVE over judgment or fear can be an actual DOORWAY to serving the greater good (and creating a healthier, more love-based environment no matter where we are)!! And as confirmation that this is true, I have been amazed at how much less challenging (and more ENJOYABLE) my time here has been since I began once-again to focus on bringing out the loving person inside of me! In fact, I had a WONDERFUL "girls night" again at Elise's house the other night – great conversation, fun times, and yummy s'mores around the campfire (now that the "fire ban" on the property has been lifted due to all the wonderful rain)!!
I’m sure there’s more to write, but it’s getting late and I better get some sleep while I can (while the halls are quiet and the “beehive of activity” at the Fish House – noisily across the way – rests peacefully)!!
Much love to you all – until next time!!
So the "bear incident" happened on my day off a couple weeks ago, so I missed all the excitement!! Apparently there was a bear who had been “exploring” around the neighborhood (i.e. some of the employee housing not far away from here), then decided to head straight for the smell of the food in the kitchen! From what I hear through the grapevine, it wandered around the Lodge a few times checking things out – and instead of leaving (duh!!) when people tried to chase him off, he climbed a tree just outside the front door of the Lodge (very near the Front Desk)!!
Well sadly, the bear chose the wrong tree to hang out in because the “wildlife management team” on the Ranch had no choice but to shoot him out of the tree! Now on the one hand, I feel kinda sad for the bear; but on the other hand, I didn’t REALLY want him hanging around (considering the fact that the LAST bear that found its way into the Lodge a couple years ago made it all the way upstairs where I sleep!! Apparently, bears have a one-track mind once they've tasted food - they will keep hanging around until they track down their next "fix" (and they seem to just LOVE sweets - last time they consumed the WHOLE basket of candy downstairs by the back door, wrappers and all)!! I kinda felt let down that it all happened on my day off (and I missed all the drama and excitement of seeing a BEAR up close and personal!!!), but on the other hand I think it would have broken my heart to see him shot out of the tree!! So I guess it’s better that I was tucked away in my room – probably reading a book or two – which is my way of “enjoying nature” (sitting in my comfy chair with my windows wide open, letting in all that nature through a screen)!!
So that’s one of the “big events” in my life in the last week! The other one is the birth of my great-nephew, Andrew!! He was born to my niece (Michelle) and her husband (Josh) on July 8th in Indiana. His birth has been anxiously, joyously and long-awaited – and he was definitely worth the wait!!! I’m sad to say that I don’t get to see him or hold him right away, but I’m hoping to see him when I get done with my “adventure” here on the Ranch (probably sometime in November)!! It seems like a LONG time to wait, but I’m really looking forward to meeting him in person – and until then, Facebook has been my friend with lots of pictures and daily (hourly?) updates on his status!!
As for the bison, I think they DID predict the rain that we’ve been receiving (ahhhh….sweet, cool rain that’s created not only beautiful green fields for me to look at, but washed out roads and lightening storms that bring the guests back to the Lodge earlier than usual – sitting in a boat on a lake is NOT where you want to be when the lightening begins to strike)!! Now for those of you who have been following my blog since it began a few months ago, you might remember from a previous posting where I wondered whether the fact that almost ALL the female bison this year gave birth to a baby was some kind of prediction on their part – an instinctual knowing – that we would have plenty of rain in spite of the previous years of drought conditions!
According to some who have lived here for years, they don’t remember having this much rain at one time for many, many years!! Maybe that’s why I’m here for the season – to bring much-needed rain from Oregon – and cool weather because we all KNOW how much I dislike the dry, dusty fields and HEAT with no air conditioning!! So maybe now’s the time to confess that I’ve been doing rain dances every day since I arrived – naaaah – just kiddin’!! Maybe it’s just Mother Nature taking pity on me (and the rest of the animal kingdom on this Ranch) – knowing that SOME OF US cannot survive happily in the dry heat!!
I know I shouldn’t complain because I have it VERY good here – indoor plumbing (private, no less) and no creepy, crawly bugs trying to get into my bed!! I bring this up because I just finished reading a book called “Kisses from Katie.” It’s the story of a young woman fresh out of high school who moved to Uganda because she felt “called” there – you know…that “inner knowing” or calling which drives some of us to do things that don’t always make logical sense to those around us!!
It’s not the kind of book I would randomly pick up from a shelf and read (because of the very traditional “God language” and perspective from which it is written – not a “bad” thing, but just not my style!!). But it was given to me (and the other front desk girls) by one of our guests (someone who comes year after year and brings groups of friends for a week at a time). It was so sweet of her to package up for each of us some lovely personalized stationary, the book about Katie’s journey helping in Uganda, and a set of beads (made by Ugandan women in a nearby village – a “garbage village” where people survive by picking through the trash – sadly not the only place this happens in third world countries)!!
This ministry allows these women to gather together each day, create beads and necklaces made from recycled paper, and sell them to Katie (who then sells them to supporters through this website: www.Amazima.org). This ministry gives them the opportunity to provide food, clothing and a clean home for their children without having to “sell their soul” – or their body – to keep their children from starving. It also provides an environment for other kinds of “support services” within that village – taking care of the children, the widowed, the elderly (you know, the ones Jesus told us to take care of while he was here)!!
When she first arrived in Uganda, she worked in an orphanage and taught kindergartners (expecting only 10-20 but ending up with over 130 on the first day because it was free and the villagers really wanted their children to learn)!! She realized how many kids were unable to attend school because of the $20 it would cost them each semester, which led her to start a ministry raising money for kids to go to school!! Can you imagine not being able to send your child to school because of a mere $20 bucks?!?!?
Well she couldn’t either – and it sounds like she was very persuasive in sharing with those in her community in the States how inconceivable it was that a child was unable to learn in school due to a mere $20 each semester! Beyond the needs of school, though, these children also needed uniforms, school supplies – and eventually a healthy meal each day to help them learn without empty stomachs growling!! So she started a ministry that provides food, clothing and education for the children in the village to which she felt called (all for a mere $60 per child – or something like that – each semester)!!
She has also “adopted” (I think that means foster care which does not allow her to take them out of the country) 14 girls who have come into her life through various circumstances (death or abandonment by their parents, other “guardians” unable to care for them, extreme illness due to housing conditions and malnutrition, etc.)!! With each child who she now cares for and loves as her own, she felt that “pull” – that Guidance from somewhere other than her logical brain – that this child was hers. She houses, clothes, provides food and care for, and loves them (from the way she describes it in her book) "the way any birth mother would love her own child – seeing them as a precious gift to be nurtured and taught what it means to be loved unconditionally."
As she described the horrific living conditions, the illnesses they’ve been afflicted with (due to a lack of clean, running water and malnutrition – not because their guardians didn’t care but because they don’t have the RESOURCES to take care of simple, basic human needs), and the “creepy crawlies” all over their bodies, I was reminded of Mother Teresa who said she could “see the face of Jesus” (a.k.a. loving our fellow human being and being able to see the Light/Soul within) in every man, woman and child she came across – and THAT is why she served them so selflessly!! Being as squeamish as I am, it’s hard for me to imagine snuggling a child who is covered in scabies (or any number of diseases, smells, etc. that she’s had to deal with in the work she’s been doing in Uganda), but I know from my visits to Guatemala that a sort of “love-blindness” can envelop us which can overcome our squeamishness!!
There were moments as I read her story that I found myself crying – not from sadness because of the horrible challenges and conditions she and the children have lived through – but because there is something about her purity of faith that touched my heart deeply. Maybe it’s the faith of someone so young she doesn’t know better than to trust and believe – so she just keeps trusting that “someone greater than herself” will provide – and she’s never fully surprised when her needs are completely taken care of in a way she could not predict!! Maybe that’s why we are supposed to live life with the “faith of a child” – not a life that has become permeated with the cynicism and skeptical perspectives of adults who have seen and lived through multiple disappointments over the years!
Even more than her purity of faith, however, I think what brought me to tears over and over was her ability to continue showing love, trust, and compassion in a country with so much need – meeting the needs of whoever was brought into her path in whatever way she could in that moment. At one point in the book, she describes how she cried out in frustration because she felt overwhelmed with all the needs around her. She received the message “you are here merely to love – and to act from that place of love in whatever way you can in THIS moment with THIS person” (or something along those lines).
Maybe it’s some of the challenges I’ve experienced since my arrival here on the Ranch which caused this book to impact me so palpably – or maybe it’s just an amazing account of a young woman who has not just survived, but THRIVED in some pretty horrendous conditions because she knows she is where she is “meant to be.” She has such a grateful heart and compassionate spirit – and is rewarded with the love of the children whose lives she’s touched in life-changing and powerful ways!! What a powerful example of someone who heard the “call” – felt it deeply in her Soul – and then responded in a way that many of us cannot even being to imagine!!
Then again, I don’t think we are meant to compare our experiences with those of others and critique them – leaving us feeling inferior (or superior) for the choices we’ve made. But I DO think it is sometimes helpful to use the journeys of others as reminders about what might be missing in our lives (or at least use their stories as good lessons for us to consider on our own journey)! For example, I couldn’t help but think to myself that I “should” be able to handle whatever comes my way because my struggles are nothing compared to the challenges this young woman has gone through on HER journey of faithfully living out her spirituality.
But what I found more helpful as I read the description of her journey (and then processed my response to her experience) is that rather than judging myself as “wimpy” or “pathetic” for not being able to handle a few challenges in my life here on the Ranch – her journey is a clear reminder (a new “mantra” if you will) that all I need to do is remember to LOVE!! No matter where I am or what I’m doing (or how people are treating me), remembering to come from a place of love for myself and others – and meeting whatever needs I feel called to meet (mine or theirs) – is what I feel “called” to do with each growth-filled step in my journey!!
I’m sure there’s more to write, but it’s getting late and I better get some sleep while I can (while the halls are quiet and the “beehive of activity” at the Fish House – noisily across the way – rests peacefully)!!
Much love to you all – until next time!!
Comments
Post a Comment