As I sit here on a frosty December morning, pondering what to include in this newsletter, I hear the horses calling for their breakfast while today’s volunteer makes her way to each one, steadfastly bringing them nourishment, each according to their unique needs. At 29, Merlyn is now our most senior horse and most of […]
Category: newsletter
2019 Newsletter
It came through a voicemail message from a stranger all the way across the country, who had never heard of Achaius Ranch before that day. It couldn’t have come at a better time, which points toward the One who is outside of time and space, who sees our needs and meets them in ways that […]
2018 Newsletter
When she came to the ranch at the beginning of the season, Georgie’s* downcast eyes and hunched shoulders spoke of self-doubt, hinted that she might not feel acceptable to the group of Session Leaders and Junior Volunteers gathered in front of the Welcome Center. But I knew this young lady, who had participated in sessions […]
2017 Newsletter
Caci (not her real name) arrived at Achaius Ranch feeling so nervous that she struggled just to emerge from the protection of the family car. Nervous about meeting new people in a new place. What would they think of her? What would she be asked to do and could she do it? Would she look […]
Newsletter 2016
All I knew about Grace (not her real name) when she first came to the ranch was that she had been labeled an “at risk” youth. It wasn’t until later that I learned what she was truly struggling with beneath her sparkling exterior. I liked her right away. It’s sort of impossible not to. Her […]
Newsletter 2015
“Why am I doing this? I often find myself asking. I’m weary and we’ve barely began. How will I keep going? I’m not even good at this!” Read the rest of the newsletter as PDF »
Newsletter 2014
Late winter 2013. The promise of new life, of ease, comfort and plenty after a miserably wet winter, a beautiful paint mare awaited springtime. Did she have any sense of foreboding? When the first flame was sparked in her barn, how quickly did she sense her peril? As the flames spread, what heart-wrenching cries did […]