Greetings! ~ from Margaret

As you know from Dee's previous blog, I have been bestowed the honor of composing our Tuesday's blog (Tuesdays with Maggie? Has a nice ring doesn't it?) Below is one that I had been thinking of for awhile, it's a bit old timewise but still relevant. I look forward to sharing my insights and stories from our little farm. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read about our wonderful world.

Peace.
Peace on Earth.
Peace be with you.
Peace out (?!)
I’ve heard these phrases before but what does peace really mean? Have you ever experienced it? I have indeed experienced peace and would like to share my experience with everyone.
It was last October. We had just gotten back to the farm from our charity ride in Cool, California. It had been a day of blissful chaos and upon our return there were still the daily chores to be done. As we frantically attempted to get it all done before the sun went out for the day, all I could think of was the shower I was going to have when I got home, how tired I was, how sunburned I had gotten, and how the last thing I wanted to do this day was pick up the pastures.
As Mary (Dee’s wonderful friend!) and I were cleaning up one of the pastures, and the sun was holding on to the bitter end giving us the golden glow of a Fall sun to work by, Mary says to me “Look! Don’t they look peaceful?”
And there it was. Peace.
During our haste to get the chores done we fed the horses in the pasture as we were cleaning. It had become suddenly very quite and when we looked over, there were our friends, our horses, heads down to the ground enjoying the fabulous dinner that they look forward to every day.
It was so quiet. You could feel the contentment in the air. Some of the horses (as they often do) were sharing their piles of food with their herd buddy and for a moment all was calm. It was at this moment that I noticed the beauty of the day. The low sun casting an orange glow on our farm, the familiar sound of happy munching when all our animals are fed, and the Canadian geese that have chosen that moment to fly over in their familiar V-formation as if by queue.
It was then that I was reminded why I have chosen to work at the farm: to provide God’s creatures with Peace. The days at the farm are filled with chores, chores, and more chores. It is a never ending battle. But this day I didn’t mind it. If it meant that I was helping to provide a wonderful environment for these animals, our friends, to have a wonderful forever home and to not live in fear, to not live hungry, to not live alone, then I knew I had found my calling. I had found peace in my heart.
I’ll never forget that day. It has changed me profoundly. I now take the time each day to observe and find peace. Whenever my life gets hectic I try to think back on that day and the feeling that it brought to me.
I have found peace in everything at the farm: cats snuggling together in the sunshine; geese floating in our pond; Sunny (the wonder dog!) barking at the hose; Handsome (the wonder pony!) nipping at his herd mates to get them to play; the bunnies running over, under, around their bales of hay; the low clucks of our chickens scratching in the yard; and my favorite, a nicker from one of our horses when they see me.
I want to especially thank Mary, for pointing out the obvious. And for that, I am eternally grateful. If you ever wondered what peace is like, please come visit us and witness it in all it’s glory for yourself.
And with that, I wish everyone peace in 2009.