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Zhaki, An inspirational Story of Freedom, Acceptance, and Hope
As promised on our website, I would like to bring you another inspirational story about Zhaki. When
we first went to pick him up, we were told by the BLM that he was really a difficult case. He was extremely angry with
people in general. He had been adopted by three differant people and returned to BLM holding facility in Salt Lake City,
UT. By any reasonable person he would have been considered dangerous. Of course, I am not a reasonable person,
and the impossible only appears to me as a new goal. As I stood outside his enclosure at the
holding facility, I thought about all the young men and women that have gone to war for the United States and come home to
face the after effects of war. They are sometimes angry, often they feel forgotten. They have issues with trust,
they have learned to be alert in the face of potential danger. Much like a wild horse that has been rounded
up and removed from his safe environment, they become cynical and see danger in places the rest of us would never see.
When in a war situation they become callous and tough. They learn to never trust anyone. That could mean your
life in a combat setting. The "military family", or comrades at arms, are the only ones that they can trust.
These are the fellow soldiers that stand by their sides and fight for them, and with them shoulder to shoulder. Anyone
outside of this particular circle could be a potential enemy. It is very hard for many of us to relate to the isolation
they feel when they come home. If they are not around other military personnel, they have a difficult time sharing the
things that they experienced that changed them while away from friends and family. It is not uncommon for a Veteran
to feel as though no one understands what they have been through. They do not feel that they can discuss these experiences
with the civilian people in their lives. They do not want to burden anyone else with the horrors that they witnessed
that have made it so difficult to reintegrate into life in the civilian world. Zhaki portrayed
this feeling to me as if it oozed out of his pores. This little wild eyed mustang stallion took a stance as if to say,
"I don't trust you, but can you take me away from here. My distrust of you is only outweighed by my yearning
to be free again." Although it is illegal to turn an adopted Mustang free, Zhaki lives happily at Tranquil Valley
on many acres and has a band of mares that he watches over just as he would in the wild. He assists Veterans with their
road to recovery, and they seem to understand one another during that process. They can see in him the leadership qualities he
possesses. They can also see that he has learned to trust mankind. It just took the right circle of people to give
him the support that he needed to get beyond his fear. As this Veterans day approaches, I would
like to encourage each of you to take a few minutes to reflect on what America's Veterans have given up for your freedom.
Think about the sacrifices that have been made throughout our countries history to lock in those freedom's for you.
If it is in your ability please take a few hours to spend with a Veteran and say thank you. Maybe you can volunteer
with a local Veterans organization, take a family trip to the VA hospital to visit someone in recovery, or just walk
up to the next person you see in uniform and say thank you. Our nations Veterans that
have served in Iraq and Afghanistan make up only 1percent of our population, as the other 99percent let us help them
to get the support and respect that they deserve.
It has been a very unpredictable
spring this year. We go from one day of 60 degree weather to the next of 30 degrees and snow.
We have had some days that were so beautiful that you just have to stop and thank God that he has provided such a wonderful
world to live in. Then you have a day that you have to remind yourself to be thankful. My
heart goes out to our friends in the Midwest and back East as you battle record amounts of snow and rain. With
the water you are battling flooding and erosion. I pray daily for our friends in Haiti and Chile as they
begin the rebuilding of their towns after such devastating earthquakes. Our weather this spring has been
a reminder of what everyday life is like. We all have our degrees of trials and tribulations, the times when you wonder why you got out
of bed to face the world. Luckily for us, these days are mixed with the joyful times, spending time with
family and friends. We have those special occasions that bring joy to everyone involved, the days that
remind you that this is a day that will bring special memories through the rest of your life. We
have heard throughout our lives that life is a series of ups and downs. You have to take the good with
the bad, Tomorrow is another day” among other quotes to gently remind us that in order to appreciate the finer things
in life, we have to experience the bad. In our daily struggle with life, we sometime forget that the greater
things in life are free. We have a segment on our local news channel on Wednesdays called Wednesday’s
Child. It features an activity with a local child up for adoption. They always ask the
child, “What are you looking for in a family” You never hear from the young child that they want a new PS3, or
a computer, a television in their room, or an ipod. They never ask for material things
like cars, bicycles, or skateboards. Their answers are generally,” I want someone to love me; I want
a family that does fun things together like sports or hiking and camping”. “I want a safe place to wake up each
day.” These innocent children that have experienced trauma in their lives
simply want to “feel” again. At Tranquil Valley we recognize that God gave us a gift of a beautiful ranch, in a breathtaking
state, in a wonderful country. In these times when life seems so difficult, we try to provide a place that
horses and families can come together to enjoy what nature has provided free of charge. Our rescued horses
have found a place to call home, and we hope that all that visit here take a little piece of this ranch home with them.
We pray that the tranquility of our farm follows them throughout daily life as that little reminder that life is good,
and we can all overcome the bad days to see the good that follow. Our horses are accepting and share love
unconditionally, just as nature intended. They remind us daily that they are thankful to have found a place
to feel safe. Our Military and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice to insure our freedoms. It
is because of all that they have given up that we all wake up feeling safe from terrorism every day. They
do not know us personally, but have chosen to fight for our rights and protect us from harm everyday during their service.
I feel it is the least that I can do to repay them by offering our farm as a place that they can come to get away from
that daily responsibility and enjoy peace and tranquility. For the Veterans that have sacrificed their
quality of life, I can only pray that time spent at TVS helps them on the road to recovery from the trauma of war.
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