A Trail of Dreams Blazing Forward

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

One thing I have learned from a young age and as a farmer is that death is a fact of life.  Is it hard to grieve a person?  Absolutely! We miss people terribly when they are no longer with us but as a farmer that also goes for the animals too.  Oftentimes the passing of the animals is hard also, but one thing I was never prepared for was the loss of a really close friend.  

It has been months since she left us here on earth but yet the desire to want to call or text her is still there.  Especially to tell her all the horse stuff, ask her questions, or just get that encouragement once again.  Then there is trips that I have gone on recently to do stuff and she would have been my co-pilot.  We would talk for hours and not realize how long drives were or have fun learning together at conferences. Those are the times I think that it is the hardest. Although I simply call her a friend, she was much more than that.  When she came to the farm, 5 years ago to see what we were doing here with horses, she never wanted to leave.  She knew we were on to something and she wanted to help advocate for our program.  

With her own disability, Carrie never let it stop her love of horses and her desire to be around them.  She would do what she could to learn about them, be near them, and share them with other people.  She instantly became a passionate board member for our team on Big Maple Farm's Natural Therapies and when she could she would volunteer in spots that she could.  She certainly loved seeing the results that our riders and families got from their interactions with the horses.  I didn't want her love for horses and her passion for our program to go unforgotten.  It was important to me that we work to remember her so I started thinking about things we could do as a program.  The list was a long one, I thought about yearly fundraiser ideas in her memory, special clothing, special programming, scholarship ideas, etc.  After reaching out to our Elk County Community Foundation I learned about endowment funds and I just knew that was the right way to go.  The fund would allow for Carrie's memory to continue to help the organization and other programs in the community she was fond of.  However, the next hurdle to cross was naming it. 
 

Along with all of us here at the farm we desire to see the program flourish and have so many different opportunities for the community.  We all dream of the day when there is an indoor space for our program that allows lessons to continue during times of poor weather.  We all dream of the day when our horses can be worked daily and we don't have to worry about the weather outside.  These dreams are big, but they are our dreams and Carrie was always sending me ways to try and raise money to get that big dream.  I also wanted something that was "horse" related.  So there was nothing more fitting than the name "Carrie's Trail of Dreams Fund."  Once I wrote the name down, I knew that it was truly speaking with everything that Carrie had desired.  She really was often on a trail of dreams.  However, she loved to live life to it's fullest and would often blaze her own trail where it needed to be.  I was always proud to have her here on our team and inspiring others that crossed our paths.  She will be terribly missed but she will not be forgotten.  We have the opportunity to make her dreams come true through this fund.  It is now open and ready for donors to donate.  We as an organization will also be holding special fundraisers to help build the fund up so that it can operate as it should and really help other programs in the community that Carrie was passionate about.  You can donate to "Carrie's Trail of Dreams Fund" here: https://northernalleghenies.org/make-a-donation/ 

We know that with the help of our community who Carrie loved so much, dreams can happen and the program in which Carrie loved so near and dear will continue to flourish.  For now though, the pain of missing a dear friend continues to hit hard especially as we get ready to bake a ton of cookies that she would spend hours helping us with, or the visits with Santa, or just getting together as friends this holiday season.  I know though that Carrie is in the Hands of our Lord and is already riding horses pain free and enjoying her new trail of dreams.  

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing       1Thessalonians 5:11

I hope that you feel compelled to check out the program here at Big Maple Farm's so that you can see why Carrie Advocated so hard for it and how it helps others with disabilities.  You can check out our program @ www.bigmaplefarmnt.net or reach out and become a new volunteer today! No matter what type of agriculture whether agritourism, farming, or businesses that provide a service to people be sure that you help advocate for it.  This industry helps feed and clothe us as well as offers us many other needed services.  Find your passion and go for it blazing your own trail of dreams. 

As Always, 

Farming with Faith and Family, 

Amanda