On Saturday I had a lovely morning at The Shea Center where I volunteer. For those that don't know, The Shea Center is a place in the beautiful hills of San Juan Capistrano that does therapeutic horseback riding for children with physical and/or mental disabilities. There's a counselor who walks beside the horse and does various learning games while the sidewalker (that would be me!) helps hold the child in the proper horseback riding position until they gain the strength to do it on their own and I also assist the counselor in learning games for the children. The children are so happy when they come here! Most of them are used to not doing physical activities other kids without disabilities get to do, so to be able to ride a horse is very empowering for them! They also love getting to laugh and play with the sidewalkers and counselors, and love their horses, too! Even though my role as sidewalker is very physically exerting (having to use our strength to hold the child and walk up many uneven hills!), you can't help but have a huge smile on your face the whole time you are there...not only is it beautiful scenery, but there's lovely aromas of lavender flowers, trees, and hay from the barn, and of course the most rewarding part of the experience-how happy the children are (they have a huge smile on their face the whole time too)! This is also great experience to contribute to my future career as a counselor-which I want to be once I graduate college next spring.
Here's some pictures of the Center:
I got my call from God to be a counselor a couple of years ago. I was on a completley different path, and then one day I felt God's voice strongly and instantly changed my major without looking back. You see, ever since I can remember I had suffered from depression, and had tried so many things to overcome it (different therapists and many different anti-depressants over the years), but nothing seemed very effective. But once I found God and felt the magnificant power of His love I was able to overcome it. I realized now that my solution to depression, which once seemed so impossible to find, was actually so simple-I just needed to turn to God. I realize now after praying and hearing God speak back to me that my experience with depression had a purpose-and that was that I should take advantage of my experiences of living with depression combined with my knowledge of the Lord's love to help others with depression. I have learned from God speaking to me that the reason I was so depressed was because I was not whole, and to become whole I needed to understand his love and I needed to help others...therefore being a counselor and spreading the Lord's words is the perfect solution to help others.
It is amazing how much insight we get when we do something so simple as just having a conversation with God-that proves how amazing he is! All you need is to talk to Him, and He in return is more than happy to give you great answers. I suppose what it all boils down to is that the Lord wants us to love him and just to remember to say hello to him.
My realization of this reminds me of a part from Rebecca E. Ondov's book called "Horse Tales From Heaven", when Ondov recalls her personal story of how she helped a horse give birth to a foal, and when the foal was born it began to suckle on Ondov's thumb (the foal thought Ondov was its mother!), and then it whinnied. Ondov felt as though the foal was calling her name, and it felt wonderful to her, she then writes "Lord, does Your heart skip a beat when I speak Your name? Do you think, 'Why, it's Rebecca...and she's calling to me?" Ondov ends this chapter by writing, "Lord, thank Your for showing me that You delight in hearing my voice. Amen."
Right now I feel exactly as Ondov felt...I can feel that the Lord is happy that I am wanting to talk with him everyday and call His name. God is so good!
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