Day 23: No

This is Diesel - one of the many new friends I made today :-)  I spent most of my afternoon and evening volunteering at Horses' Haven - a rescue farm in Howell.  It was by chance that I came across the flier looking for help, but I think it was meant to be.  Before I went today I checked out the website - some of the stories and pictures were so disturbing that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to spend my time there without condemning myself to coming home crying every night.  But, I said "no" to my apprehensions and went - and I'm glad that I did.  They have nearly 50 horses, including some miniatures and donkeys.  Some of them are very old, some of them are blind, some of them have special needs, and all of them need a lot of love and TLC.  I'm really looking forward to the Spring and Summer there when I can spend time out in the fields with the horses without my toes freezing off!  There's something almost spiritual about making connections with animals - it's like you exercise a whole other part of your brain/spirit in order to understand them, a God-given ability to connect with nature that has slowly faded away from us...

Ecclesiastes 3

¹⁸ I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” ¹⁹ For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. ²⁰ All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. ²¹ Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?