09/11/2023
Over the past three years, Calvin Center Horses & Warriors has been the most appreciative beneficiary of support from the Georgia Equine Rescue League (GERL). When equine rescue shifted from the GA Dept of Agriculture to local law enforcement, GERL sought another outlet for the amazing work they do. They chose veterans programs, and much to our delight, they called us! Because of this partnership, we contribute an article to their quarterly newsletter. This is a recent column, taken from a talk I gave to my Sunday school class:
Recently a friend called our work with Calvin Center Horse & Warriors a ministry. Usually when I talk to groups it is to tell them about the benefits of equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) in healing of wounded warriors. I talk about the different ways that EAAT heals a variety of wounds, both visible and invisible. And I talk a bit about the injuries we see, such as PTSD, TBI, MST. I talk about the work.
But, while I think of H&W as a blessing to myself, I’ve never spoken to a group about this. I love this opportunity to tell you the many ways that we’ve seen God in our midst at the barn each Friday, and beyond.
First of all, we are a family. We just began our 13th year of programming this past February. Many of our volunteers have been with us since the very first day. I am blessed to have the instructor, Marywill, working with me from that time. Marywill is a member of St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church, she is a worker in their St. Vincent de Paul program, and her faith is the guiding principle in everything she does. She is an inspiration in her ability to find the silver lining in any cloud – or to create that silver lining when it is difficult to find. When my faith is flagging, I try to remember Marywill’s approach to life.
As a family, we have faced the many life events that have come our way in this time. We have attended the funerals of a veteran son who committed su***de, a rider who we walked with as he declined and died from a deadly disease, several volunteers who have died (Ron built a cremation urn for one dear friend), and a therapy horse whose funeral, complete with flag ceremony, was held at the barn. We pray for medical test results and treatment, for travel mercies, for pets who are sick, for veteran children who are lost to addiction, and all the other ways that families support each other in times of trial. After the Pledge of Allegiance each Friday, we have our prayer time. This is when prayer concerns are lifted and prayed for. At first it was overwhelming to me to hear the “Uncover”, and to see everyone stand and remove their hats before the prayer. It soon became obvious to me that prayer is a significant part of their lives. Despite the fact that we have two chaplains among our volunteers, I am the person who most often prays. Even though I am a Christian, and we meet in a Christian facility, there are several among us who are either Jewish or Muslim. This caused me to think carefully about how I pray. So I begin the prayer with a “Dear God”, and end with “In Jesus’ name I pray”. This feels right to me. And it is always a good thing for me to see Marywill make the sign of the cross at the end of each prayer. We feel that this gives us a solid foundation for the work of the day.
Just as we are together in times of trial, we also joyfully celebrate all the good things that happen within our family. Our Korean War volunteer chose Horses & Warriors as the recipient of his 90th birthday gifts. And of course we pass around pictures of new grandbabies and weddings. A very special celebration for us has been including a special WWll veteran in our family. When we met James, we invited him to come be part of Horses & Warriors. Thankfully, he accepted! On a beautiful, warm Friday in December of 2021, he came to the barn to celebrate his 102th birthday! We had a special cake for him, and gave him one of our t-shirts. He has joined us for our breakfasts a couple of other times. Just this past year we were able to award him a Quilt of Valor, honoring his service to our country.
Each week I am reminded of the part that faith plays in the lives of our veterans. These men and women talk openly about what they’re doing in their church communities and their community ministries. Some seek spiritual direction on an ongoing basis. It is not uncommon to find the women in our group joining together in prayer for a family member. Others are leaders in their churches. When Ron and I were seeking a new church home, we were invited to join several in their churches. Just as Fayetteville First United Methodist Church has been generous to our program, several veterans have included us in their church’s outreach ministries.
Just as the Bible tells us to help others, our veterans show their love for others by their actions. We have one rider who suffers from dementia. Volunteers provide transportation for him each Friday, so he can be with us, riding his favorite horse. This transportation has been the case with other veterans, willingly offered. Meals are provided after surgery, and in times of need. Household items and gift cards were donated to a veteran whose family lost their home to a fire. A group of men within our program has been the lifeline to a young Marine with a 100% disability. They have surrounded him with love and encouragement, and lifted him from a very bad place to a place of personal acceptance and strength.
It’s not just the young veterans who continue to struggle. Our Viet Nam veterans have wounds that are deep, but very real. The 50th anniversary of the end of the Viet Nam war brought these wounds to the surface for many veterans. Coming to the barn on a Friday, surrounded by other veterans, provided a place of respite that gave them peace. They have told us that they have a good purpose in their lives now, helping the younger warriors to readjust to a new life. This seems to have relieved some of the burden they have carried from their unwelcome return home after Viet Nam. They are doing unto others what they wish had been done to them.
Meeting at the Calvin Center, we are aware of the beauty of God’s creation. We are surrounded by fields, woods, Springtime birds, Sand Hill Cranes in the Winter, deer, and quiet. And of course the horses. Everyone tells us of the peace that they feel when they are with us. It is impossible not to feel grateful to God for that place.
In closing, I’d like to tell you the story of one of our veterans, and how we all saw God working in him one special day. This gentleman suffered from Lewy Body Syndrome, a terrible disease that none of us had even heard of when his wife first contacted us. She hoped that being a volunteer would help him. It very quickly became apparent that he wouldn’t be able to do the work of a volunteer, but that he would benefit from being a rider. So, with veteran-provided transportation, he became a weekly rider. As time progressed, so did his disease, very quickly. We watched him as he began to hallucinate and make no sense. A conversation that began in reality would quickly become nonsensical. He was always a happy man - until the day that he was not. He became agitated one day, and stalked off down the driveway away from the barn, onto the highway. We called his wife who told us to let him walk, while she called family to come. We surrounded him, with a truck behind offering protection, and walked with him down the road for a mile or so. The sheriff and the family arrived at the same time. By now, the man had calmed down enough that he was concerned that we would all have a ride back to the barn. He directed us all into cars for the ride back. Shortly after that, he was moved into a memory care facility. But he was still able to come out to ride each Friday. One day we will never forget. Ron had picked him up at his new home, and remembered the conversation on the way as being completely out of touch with reality. He saw hallucinations and was telling Ron fanciful things. This continued once he arrived at the barn. As we gathered, we said the Pledge, and then asked for prayer concerns. All of a sudden, from the back of the group, this gentleman began to talk. He had a happy look in his eyes, and spoke clearly and strongly as he looked at us all. This is what he told us, “Thank you all for your prayers for me and for my family. We all appreciate it.” These were the first lucid words we had heard from him in months. There was not a single doubt that this was God giving him the grace to reach through his illness to say what he felt in his heart. We felt God’s presence with us that day.
Our veterans continue to honor their pledge to not leave a fallen comrade behind. But I also see God working through them, as more than a pledge given, but also a desire to do what God has commanded us – to do unto others what we would have them do unto us.
