A Way Home

Good Afternoon

And, fairly pleasant at that; up around 80 degrees and breezy.

And, lots a irons in the fire, as opposed to yesterday, which aside from the basics, feed, water, a little firewood and a half hearted go round with the boys, was pretty much a non-event; those mules, there Monday, kinda took the wind out ma sails.

But, one day down, a little extra quiet/prayer time and I woke up today, just a little fresher and opto-mistic; made some phone calls around to a few VA offices, see if I could make a connection, find out what's goin' on with veterans comin' home from overseas, as I've heard of some programs involvin' vets and horses that seem to be helpin' with their re-acclimation to civilian life.

I don't figure on The Medicine Bend Association, ever gettin' real big, or formal, if that's the right word, but one child, one veteran, might need a simple retreat for a while, fix some fence, ride a horse, check a cow; that'd be a start. And, I suppose, why I figure, start with the horse rescue; if there's horses at the bottom, like a foundation, I know the healin' can start, no fancy philosophy required.

And, I have took some ribbin' on my mission statement, even some ribbin' for thinkin' about it, but all the good books say it's important and it's not like I really done this before, so, I am apt to look and listen some, the "experts" mighta tried similar. Anyway, I still like it, even rustic, as is. In fact, maybe all the more, that very reason. I just remember, time in my life, real lost I was and I went around to all the "institutions", knockin' doors and askin' questions. Just got a lot of blank looks and talk. Serious, and I mean serious, as I was, it was plain as day, it was just talk and well meanin' as they mighta been, weren't anything a fella could really get hold of; least not one, lost like me. So, I had ta search my soul for anything that'd been solid since I was young and it was the critters. People can be all over the place; critters, the woods, that's like bedrock. So, that's where I went and that's where the healin' began.

The Navajo say, the first people, the gods, once they'd kinda got the world workin', they disappeared back into the rocks and the trees, some natives believe their ancestors come back as buffalo, provide for their children. Hard to figure, but maybe there's a rhyme and a reason and some kinda sense, that wisdom and healin' are much closer to our roots than our big ideas. And, so, whatever it's worth, my affectionate little mission statement, laughable may be, but I believe it, whole heart:

Makin' a home for old horses, 'cause even old horses know the way home; and there's kids (and soldiers) may have fogot.

Have a nice night!

Best,