A year ago today, my best good buddy Choca died in my arms. Many of you were part of my community here at the time and remember it. It kicked off a year of loss: our dog, our unborn baby, my job. This is why I was convinced Sassy wouldn't make it to 2022. Choca was my hiking partner for many years, and because she never said anything, I came to enjoy silence rather than the adrenaline and distractions of my life off the mountains. I think my career in TV news eventually ended because of that - as the silence allowed me self-relfection, which brought self-awareness, and with it, awareness of the world around me. Choca's death was a violent one in the sense that natural death, I've heard, isn't always how movies depict it. This was the first time I'd ever been there for a last breath and for months after it, I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and had other unexplained health problems. This may seem an odd reaction, but as a child I accompanied my doctor parents to hospitals and witnessed sickness and dying at a very young age. Avoiding death, while trying to understand it, became a driving motivation for me. Perhaps it is, in part, why I went to seminary and eventually became a reporter. I sought distraction from my own mortality while also seeking to control it through knowledge. A losing combination. In the book he wrote about his wife's death, CS Lewis said, "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid." That was my experience. And I had no choice but to sit through it. Then to confront it again and again throughout the rest of the year. But as I sat quietly, I realized something. I had believed that if I could unlock the secrets of death and finally come to peace with it- the ultimate question of existence that has eluded philosophers for centuries - I would finally come to know God. Instead, after last year, I now believe that I had gotten it backwards. Instead, it is coming to know God that brings one peace about death (and all other things for that matter). And thus begins a new journey, not of the head but of the heart. I'll end with another quote from a favorite Lewis book, the last lines of Til We Have Faces, “I ended my first book with the words 'no answer.' I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you.” Blessings to all of you on your journey. Thank you for being a part of mine.
If you live in our part of Florida, it is only a matter of time before you drive down the road and spot a gopher tortoise in your way. Will you drive past it, or pull over and move it to a safe location? This question can be a dilemma as touching a gopher tortoise is technically illegal, though I have read that if you are relocating it out of the road, this is allowed. In other circumstances, touching a gopher tortoise can bring a 5-year jail sentence and a $5000 fine.
I keep my gopher tortoise spotting eyes healthy with the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from Green Pasture. It is packed with inflammation reducing omega-3s and vitamin A, which is extremely important for sight. The cod liver oil is fermented to maintain nutritional value compared to fish oils that undergo high heat processing. Get 10% off with promo code “ALISON” at checkout. https://greenpasture.org/
We have only been trailering our horse ourselves for a few years, but typically Lynn is the one at the wheel. The kids had rodeo camp recently - to which they needed to bring Sassy - and Lynn had an unexpected meeting to attend. That left yours truly as the only option for a driver. I have been riding horses since I was 5 years old, but I have never driven a trailer of any kind. I got one quick 10 minute lesson around the neighborhood and then off we went. Thankfully the arena is only five minutes from our house and I was able to take back roads most of the way. Of course, as a 33-year old horse who has traveled to Seattle and back twice, Sassy is a dream horse for a newbie. We made it safely and I feel much more confident now.
I keep my driving eyes healthy with the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from Green Pasture. Vitamin A is great for low light vision and omega 3s are important for retinal health. Get yours at 10% off using “ALISON” as your promo code at check out....
The first time I watched a cow sorting practice last year, it was like a switch went off in my head. “THIS is what I want to do with the rest of my life.” Some people want to retire. I want to be a cowgirl. Thankfully, Lily enjoys it too (though she says it’s more fun to do it in the shade), and turns out Sassy isn’t scared of running up on cows and chasing them away. All of this made for a fun day trying it for ourselves for the first time at the kids’ Rodeo Camp.
Yelling at the cows definitely helps so I keep my cowgirl chompers healthy with the vitamins A, D & K in Green Pasture’s fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil blend. It’s also packed with omega 3s that keep inflammation at bay when putting my 44-yr old mom body to the test. Use promo code “ALISON” for 10% off at check out. https://greenpasture.org/
