Welcome to Monday! Yesterday we had our second Pet Pictures with Santa event and it was even more fun than the first. We had people bring cats, dogs, and guinea pigs, and we even got pictures with some of those animals and our donkey! We had two little boys who cried as it was their first time seeing Santa in real life and they were terrified. I felt bad for them, but Santa had seen this before and he knew just what to do to get down on their level and help them not be afraid.

Who else was not afraid was Emblaze, interestingly. Since we started preparations early in the morning, all the horses got the sense something was about to happen today. And Blazey planted herself right in front of the corral gate without budging, insisting she wanted to be a part of the action. This is sometimes unusual for her, she often just wants to be left alone in her post racehorse life retirement. But somehow yesterday she decided she wanted to be in the middle of it all. So of course we got her and Dominic the Christmas Donkey, brushed them, and decorated them in Christmas outfits, which they both just loved while they munched from hay in their hay nets and blissfully enjoyed all of the special attention from all the people and kids.

It is so interesting to see how animals can have different opinions about things, even on different days, right? We just have to be open to listening to them when they speak to us, and believe them, and not let our ego or plans get in the way of hearing what they are communicating to us. I think everybody had a really nice time and the weather was beautiful, sunny and nice for spending the day out at the barn. Plus this was the first year we had a nice, warm, finished classroom to retreat to, so that was even better!

I really enjoyed the day, but getting everything ready starts days in advance, and between the two events, it’s all exhausting, so by the time we got most of the food and snacks cleaned up, I was ready to crash for the rest of the day. No more horsing around for us. Being ‘on’ for others and working hard to give them a good experience, is truly exhausting. But I was able to get to bed early, and now I am ready to tackle this week.

Today I am grateful for my classroom in the barn, my Santa’s, the folks who showed up to our events, and the people who support us all year round, and especially my daughter who does the work of two average people in a day, with the biggest smile on her face, and I don’t know how I couldn’t possibly do all of this without her.

This morning I already spent some time visualizing our dream barn, and riding Natalia doing flying lead changes effortlessly in our indoor arena. They say you don’t need to worry about the how, just visualize the end result. So I am having faith in that and picturing a team of 18 trained R+ trainers here happily working with all of the animals to help keep them clean, and emotionally and physically fulfilled. I see loads of cars with small children coming to see the animals with looks of wonder in their eyes and a renewed appreciation for the power and strength of the animals, and their eyes opened to their intelligence and gentleness, creating in them a desire to help care for and protect them. And with a professional film crew and permanent equipment, in order to share what we do, and help change the entire world, by sharing it all with others. That is my dream. My legacy to share with the world. And if you feel so moved as to help us make that happen, you can do so here on this link for Colorado Gives Day which is tomorrow Tuesday December 9th and remember they are doing matching donations so your gift means more now than ever. When you set up a new monthly donation between Nov. 1 and Dec. 9 on ColoradoGivesDay.org, Colorado Gives Foundation will automatically match your first month’s gift up to $100. With $250K available in matching funds across all nonprofits, now is the perfect time to make your support go twice as far.

https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Resqranch

It’s your turn to picture yourself one year from today. 5 years from today. 20 years from today. Who will you be with? How will you be spending this Monday if money is no barrier and life can be anything you can possibly imagine? You have the right to dream any dream, no big or how small. All you have to do is embrace it. Just give it a try. You deserve it as much as anyone. How do I know? Otherwise, you would not have woken up today.

​So get out there and embrace this day. Don’t just float through it, letting things and people push you around. Make the day the way you want it to be. Have fun. Laugh. Be kind to someone else.

Choose to smile and forgive someone you maybe don’t really like that much, and just be grateful, you are not them. And mostly just smile and have fun today you Animal Loving Angel, I am glad you are here!

​​​​​Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq