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[JimJam]

^^^ Great album @JimJam

Phil B., what do you think of Love's Forever Changes? A stylistic departure from their previous albums with less electric guitar energy. I like it a lot but i prefer Da Capo.

 

[JimJam]

Floyd is definitely long in the tooth ... or should I say teeth! Animal therapy really is amazing, Phil. The lady that founded this place was involved in a head on car accident about 10 years ago with her husband and young son while they were on vacation in Texas. Her husband was killed instantly. When she and her son returned home, she got her son into the "best therapy money could buy" as she puts it, to help him deal with the loss of his father. But she soon realized that for families that didn't have the resources (money) that her family was fortunate to have, there really was no place suited for kids that are coping with grief. So with her husband's life insurance money, she bought a small farm and several miniature horses and other animals and has been helping kids and their families ever since, free of charge. I've been volunteering there since October. It's a great place that provides the kids with a safe environment in which to express themselves and just generally deal with their grief and meet other kids that are dealing with similar things. In addition to Floyd, there are 8 miniature horses (pictured here), a few big horses, 2 donkeys (that were actually married by the mayor! ), a bunch of cats and a great dog named Philly!

This is a great story, zengac. I am a big believer in animal therapy and witnessed firsthand by my (now deceased) retriever. I would take her to care facilities for the elderly, some of whom were wheelchair or bed-bound and she would brighten their days like nothing else could.

I'm sure the wedding of the donkeys was touching. Hope you were chosen as a bridesmaid!

 

[zengac]

@zengac Really cool work you are doing there! I imagine it is quite rewarding. You should be proud of yourself!

Thank you so much for your kind words! It really has been very rewarding. The kids are amazing to me, they are so young and have been through a lot and yet they are so energetic and articulate. The first group I worked with was the stigmatic death group, meaning that their loved one died from homicide, suicide, drug/alcohol abuse or overdose or HIV/Aids. We played a game in which the kids had to name a grief feeling. I expected things like sad, mad, etc. but they came up with what I thought were pretty sophisticated words, such as livid, demolished, frustrated. One little boy even said happy. His mother was an addict and he spent most of his young life in hotel rooms with her and never really got to play outside. He is now living with relatives who have a nice big backyard, swing set, sandbox, etc.

The whole experience has made me realize what many adults don't see and that is that children do grieve. As adults we try to protect kids from the unpleasant feelings associated with death or we just assume that kids are too young to really understand. But the reality is, death is a part of life and they have very real feelings about it. It's sounds like it would be a really sad place to hang around but it's just the opposite. The kids don't sit there the whole time crying; in fact, I have yet to see a single tear. There are grief related activities such as the game I mentioned and then we do a candle lighting ceremony at the end where everyone lights a candle in memory of their special person, but otherwise they are free to play with the horses or the many play areas set up around the farm. Our job there as facilitators is to make them feel comfortable to express themselves and just feel whatever it is they feel, answer questions, etc.

Anyway, I'm sorry to ramble on and on but I am pretty passionate about this and could talk about it all day long as you can probably tell! Thanks for listening!

 

[zengac]

This is a great story, zengac. I am a big believer in animal therapy and witnessed firsthand by my (now deceased) retriever. I would take her to care facilities for the elderly, some of whom were wheelchair or bed-bound and she would brighten their days like nothing else could.

I'm sure the wedding of the donkeys was touching. Hope you were chosen as a bridesmaid!

Aw thanks Jim! The donkey wedding was actually just prior to my getting involved there but it was quite the event! There were over 300 guests, something like 4 t.v. stations and the mayor of the town performed the ceremony! It was a great way for the charity to raise much needed funds. And apparently, donkeys mate for life which is something I did not know before. It's pretty cool to watch them actually. Digory and Duchess follow each other around that farm constantly... where one is, the other is right there too.

I too am a great believer in animal therapy and know firsthand the value of it. I had a German Shepherd for 14 years that was the best therapist! Sadly, I had to put her down just over a year ago and that was right after several close family members died within 6 months of each other. It felt like every 6 months or so for a couple of years, I was saying goodbye once again. Talk about grief! That's actually what eventually led me to this place so in a way, it's been great therapy for me too.

To end this post on a happy note, here is a picture of the handsome groom and beautiful bride on their wedding day!

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[JimJam]

Aw thanks Jim! The donkey wedding was actually just prior to my getting involved there but it was quite the event! There were over 300 guests, something like 4 t.v. stations and the mayor of the town performed the ceremony! It was a great way for the charity to raise much needed funds. And apparently, donkeys mate for life which is something I did not know before. It's pretty cool to watch them actually. Digory and Duchess follow each other around that farm constantly... where one is, the other is right there too.

I too am a great believer in animal therapy and know firsthand the value of it. I had a German Shepherd for 14 years that was the best therapist! Sadly, I had to put her down just over a year ago and that was right after several close family members died within 6 months of each other. It felt like every 6 months or so for a couple of years, I was saying goodbye once again. Talk about grief! That's actually what eventually led me to this place so in a way, it's been great therapy for me too.

To end this post on a happy note, here is a picture of the handsome groom and beautiful bride on their wedding day!

[/URL][/IMG]

I also did not know that donkeys mate for life. Thinking of human divorce rates, Digory and Duchess make great marital role models. I'll bet they complete each other's sentences.

All that grief lead you to the animal therapy place and that's truly a silver lining that you brought about. Always good to know that grief can somehow lead to something positive. Your Shepherd sounds like an awesome companion. My retriever died at 10 1/2 but she had a fabulous life and brought happiness to everyone she met. I prefer to focus on the joy she brought, rather than missing her - though i do miss her.

 

[zengac]

I also did not know that donkeys mate for life. Thinking of human divorce rates, Digory and Duchess make great marital role models. I'll bet they complete each other's sentences.

All that grief lead you to the animal therapy place and that's truly a silver lining that you brought about. Always good to know that grief can somehow lead to something positive. Your Shepherd sounds like an awesome companion. My retriever died at 10 1/2 but she had a fabulous life and brought happiness to everyone she met. I prefer to focus on the joy she brought, rather than missing her - though i do miss her.

Oh believe me, I completely understand! I miss my girl too. Life's a funny thing sometimes ... you're going along your merry way and then it hits ya hard and you feel like this: Like you though, I think we have to accept the negative parts of life but focus on the positive.

 

[JimJam]

Oh believe me, I completely understand! I miss my girl too. Life's a funny thing sometimes ... you're going along your merry way and then it hits ya hard and you feel like this: Like you though, I think we have to accept the negative parts of life but focus on the positive.

Yes to focusing on the positive - but the "bricks" image you used is why i have an aversion to surprises in my life. Too often, surprises have been negative ones.

 

[zengac]

It's been hot here which is nothing unusual but it's also been very dry. We haven't had rain in so long and my poor grass and garden are so thirsty (water from the hose just isn't the same)!! This is suppose to be our rainy season!!

 

[zengac]

Yes to focusing on the positive - but the "bricks" image you used is why i have an aversion to surprises in my life. Too often, surprises have been negative ones.

Some of life's surprises are not good ones for sure but hopefully among the negative surprises we all must face, we can find some rays of sunshine and hope!

 

[Phil B.]

Phil B., what do you think of Love's Forever Changes? A stylistic departure from their previous albums with less electric guitar energy. I like it a lot but i prefer Da Capo.

I remember the first time I listened to Forever Changes and being disappointed. I had heard "My Little Red Book" and really dug the jam. Forever Changes was a totally different sound. Much more introspective. Today Forever Changes is my favorite, but it didn't use to be that way!