Summer time reflections

So, we went to Big Bone Lick State Park in KY to hike and hang out over the weekend~ so relaxing and special. We had a picnic, hung out in an old school playground, hiked along the creek and the lake, took photos, and saw the bison! Wow it was a lot!
Today I had an amazing experience! I basically went from being terrified to in love with a horse! So I volunteered to chaperone 7 AWESOME Leadership Scholars to Green Acres Farm where we first cleaned the horses holves, brushed them, mounted and dismounted bare back, pulled thier hair, walked the horses and road them bareback through an obstacle course! And if that doesn't sound so amazing- let me tell you- it was! The first thing Jessy had us do was lift the horses foot and scrape the grass and pebbles off the foot! Honestly, this intimidated me which made me drop the horses foot and just run away a bit! Well I gradually got more comfortable with each challenge that we faced. Most of us were frightened at first but by the end we all loved it and were hugging the horses! It was so incredible because of the tranformation is such a short time- I highly suggest you go see Jessy and Jodie at Green Acres Farm- they were so welcoming to us and guided us through with the horses, they encouraged us and made us feel comfortable even though some of us were hesitant and fearful. Every scholar truly enjoyed the experience and even want to go back! I was seriously hugging Fat Dollie she was the sweetest most gentle creature I have ever encountered. If you know me- you know I do not generally even pet peoples household pets because the fur, my allergies, the fear because of my past experiences of being bitten, attacked.... ahhh. I LOVE FAT DOLLIE she is so beautiful which you can see in the pic I posted. I actually trusted her too!
The horse experience was similar to when we went canoeing with the youth on Monday- at first some of the youths were giving up, getting frustrated, scared, etc. and by the end were happy to have been there and enjoying the experience. Bashi and I spent the day helping youths dump the water out of thier flipped canoes and encouraging the frustrated canoers. At one point one scholar was saying "I just want to be home right now!" the other sharing the presently flipped boat was grumbling and clenching his fists in frustration. Bashi helped them get the water out of the canoe for at least the second time, and got them back in thier boat from the shoreline. We calmly coached them and encouraged them down the river for awhile- next thing you know these same two are coaching others and finding thier own "secret passageway" and saying "this is actually quite beautiful!" The moral of the story is if you truly want to help others make a difference or turn a negative to a positive it requires PATIENCE!!! One can not change when another tells him/her to. It is amazing what can unfold in front of your very eyes if you just stay calm and maintain a positive attitude.
It helps that it is my job to stay positive and help the youths stay calm and take in the experience when I am in these situations that I am learning from as well. I feel truly blessed and so thankful for Gods love right now I just can't even think of the words! Peace up and Bless up!