If you have not been following us, we have been through some chaotic times in the past 15 months. This isn’t the post to talk about that nonetheless, that post is coming soon.
This post is about the happiness watching two best friends ride all over the farm on two rescued donkeys. It’s about finding joy in present moments and not focusing on past events.
Joy happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how beautiful and good things are and ignore everything else. By staying connected to our “now” we set ourselves up to move forward into our purpose. It does not mean we discount the “wrongs” people have committed or not look forward to the day justice is served upon them. It simply means that we don’t let it weigh us down and skew our grateful hearts and positive energy.
#rescuedonkey #horserescue #charitablegiving #communityoutreach #underservedyouth #atriskyouth #addictionrecovery #healing #horsebackriding #donkeys #barns #wildflowers #sweethomealabama #peace #now #present #sisterhood #womenscircle #divinefeminine
I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies louder than the unbelief.
My weapon is a melody; Heaven comes to fight for me
I'm gonna sing in the middle of the storm. Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar.
Up from the ashes hope will arise. Death is defeated, the King is alive.
I raise a hallelujah with everything inside of me. I will watch the darkness flee in the middle of the mystery.
Fear, you lost your hold on me
I raise a hallelujah 🖤
Gideon and Shine have been fun to watch when they decide to play around in the paddock.
(They are doing construction up the road stirring up dust. That’s what you see blowing around in the video.)
Today I spent all day at the rescue/barn. I left my four dogs at home to care for all the horses and small barn animals at Serendipity. I had planned to do this and was happy be able to do it. I had also planned on getting in my car after I was finished and all the animals were cared for to drive home and feed and love on my own critters, but I could not.
⛈️ Flooded.
💦 Once again the leased facility is flooded. Paddocks flooded, three stalls in one barn flooded. Two stalls in the other barn flooded.
‼️🌊The driveway was underwater and impassable 🌊‼️
🚫🚘 🚫I could NOT drive my car out to go home. And who knows if the water will recede overnight enough to be able to drive in in the morning. I had to find someone to come pick me up. Leave my car there unattended. Wade through the water to get to my ride. This is NOT okay. It is not only inconvenient, but it is a huge safety issue. If we had an emergency, we couldn’t get the animals out and we couldn’t get a vet in. And I am just praying I can get in in the morning without having to wade back in.
We just got a truck load of shavings in last week for the stalls. The water running in the barn wet the bottom of the pile. The wet portion will have to be replaced. We will need to purchase bags of pellets to help absorb the water in the horse stalls that are flooded. Ideally we’d bring in some gravel to put in the stalls, too, but it isn’t in the budget. We will need to strip the stalls and replace all the straw in the stalls that flooded in the Little Barn that houses the small barn animals. The repeated flooding is costing us in so many ways.
https://givebutter.com/serendipity-farm-rescue
If you can help with a donation, no matter how big or small, to help offset some of these extra costs we would greatly appreciate it! As a 501(c)3, your donations are tax deductible and our donation platform will automatically send you a receipt you can use for tax purposes. Thank you!
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Meet HENNY PENNY! Remember the newest rescued chicken? She’s doing great! Quite chatty. Loves to eat. Sweet girl.
🔺👀🔺𝐖𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄🔺👀🔺
Hey friends! This is Tonja Denise and I have put off posting a snippet of a video from last week mainly because I am fighting an illness and quite frankly, I am so overwhelmed that I haven’t been able to think clearly.
With that being said- I am reaching out personally to ask for help.
What kind of help?
Any and everything. Share our story- network- keep your eyes open for us!
We need a safe and clean space for all of our horses and little animals.
The horses have been stuck inside since December 5th and last week the stalls flooded again creating an even worse situation.
The main barn is staying damp and growing mold in the tack & feed rooms, between the walls, and they stalls are staying damp.
Most of you know that all of our programs that provide us with the income to support our operation costs and our programs that provide support for the community have been cancelled until further notice.
The flooding has quadrupled our operation costs along with increasing the amount of labor hours (all which are unpaid), and it has taken a toll on both the physical and mental health of our horses, board members, and volunteers.
If anyone has any questions, suggestions, prayers, positive energy, or anything please feel free to contact me by text or call at (423) 800-4479.
We are quite literally drowning and as each day passes, we are looking at having to make hard decisions that we don’t want to make. We have come so far and have made huge plans for 2023 but we need your help!
Thank you for your help, encouragement, and support! If you would like more information concerning our services and our vision for 2023 please click on the following links:
Impact 2023
The Teal Elephant Project
https://www.serendipitytn.org/the-teal-elephant-project
The Miranda Pace Project
https
When we feel like crying, we laugh.
Laughter is necessary to overcome so many undesirable emotions, situations, and exhausting times.
Over two months of horses stuck inside the barn has definitely brought on more challenges than we like.
Nonetheless, we accept these challenges knowing that one day they will become faded memories of when times were hard and we persevered.
You can JOIN us in making an even GREATER IMPACT in 2023 as we continue to rescue, shelter, & give horses a second chance in life, care for vulnerable women and children, and introduce our community food security programs- GIVE NOW!
Donate now using any form of payment on our secure fundraising platform “Givebutter” where you may choose a specific project campaign, become a monthly sponser, or give a general gift:
https://givebutter.com/serendipity-farm-rescue
Or
By text: send “IMPACT2023“ to 53-555
Or shop our “Amazon Wishlist” & consider choosing us as your charity for Amazon Smiles and Amazon will donate a percentage to us each time you order!
https://smile.amazon.com/hz/charitylist/ls/8KDFGN4T98NY/ref=smi_ext_lnk_lcl_cl
Thank you all for your ongoing support and encouragement during these times. We couldn’t do it without our village!
☮️💜🐎
*We do not own the rights to this sound, Mission Impossible soundtrack.
Nudge KNOWS he wants some #hay and isn’t afraid to say so! #sillyhorses #rescuedhorses #ottb #equestrian #goodboy
When we are having a rough day, Nudge makes it all better.
#ottb #racehorse #jockeyclub #thoroughbred #sillyboy #scratch #equestrian #dressagehorse #eventing #rescuehorse #savinglives #horsebackriding
#kids and #horses Rudy is a rescued #OTTB #Mare who clearly has #personality and loves music and #dancing. #rescuehorse #graymare #dontcare #equestrian #horsetherapy #mentalhealthmatters #traumahealing
*we do not any rights to this music by Cyprus Hill, Jump Around
Buck making the best out of the time while his #stall was being #mucked. We so 💙 this #rescuedhorse and all the ways he makes us #laugh. #horserescue #sillymoments
Ever wonder what really goes on behind the scenes? Then check out this quick sneak peek of what we are dealing with now and feel free to share this post.
Rescue isn’t always smiles and happy tears. In fact, the majority of us don’t share enough of our “ugly” moments because we must keep our focus on the positive ones as not to drown during the worst of times.
Maybe it’s time that all of us in rescue start showing more of our struggles? This is the current state of things at the farm and we and so many other LEGITIMATE rescues are really struggling right now.
It’s like none of us can catch a break. I’m on the phone daily with rescue friends across the United States checking on their needs and not only financial but even more so how they are doing emotionally.
Please support your local rescues and outreach programs. Support isn’t always financial. Everyone needs help with building projects, cleaning, social media, volunteer committee directors, and more! If you don’t know a legitimate rescue near you, reach out to us because chances are we know someone in your area. Your time is just as important to a rescue as any amount of money.
💸 If you’re in a financial position to help us through both our good days along with unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances you may use any form of payment on our secure link here:
https://givebutter.com/oIP5h1#
🗓️ Would you like to become a monthly sponsor for one of horses or small farm animals? Please contact us either by phone (423) 800- 4479 or by email at [email protected]
🛍️ Or if you would rather purchase from our Amazon wishlist (you can also choose us as your charity w/ Amazon Smiles too), here is the link to our wishlist!
https://a.co/1CjvYH8
🛒 Or you may shop for items on our critical needs list on Chewy and have them shipped directly to us:
https://chewygivesback.prf.hn/click/camref:1011lpZii/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chewy.com%2Fg%2Fserendipity-farm-rescue_b90264240
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from all of us at Serendipity Farm & Rescue!
For the majority of us, 2022 probably brought us a mixture of experiences and challenges. For some of us, 2022 might have been a difficult one and you were ready to see it go. For others, perhaps 2022 was a good one and it has been a hard one to let go with only the unknown ahead.
Here at the rescue, the year was certainly a mix of blessings and struggles. Things like flooding and the recent unusually cold temperatures have made us stretch and dig deep to remember why we do what we do. Then there are the times that a horse offers you his back end to rub, an adult smiles proudly after facing a horse related fear, you hear the bleeting of a new baby goat, you can see the rescued horse start to trust you, you hear the laughter of the homeschooled kids, or you watch a teenager gain confidence as they help a fellow teen with a new horse related skill that you know you are doing what you are supposed to be doing; your heart is warm and your soul content.
Let's go into 2023 with the enthusiasm of Buck and Rudy, two of our rescued team, who took the time to enjoy life's simple pleasures by taking a good roll in the shavings together to round out the year. May you, too, find simple pleasures in the coming year. We thank you for journeying with us into the New Year as well!
Care to help us as we continue our work into 2023? No donation is too small or too big. Donate here:
https://givebutter.com/oIP5h1
After being in the stalls for 3 weeks due to flooding and freezing temps, Rajee showed us his true silky self. #standardbred #rehab #racehorse #rescuehorse #blackhorse #gelding #goofychallenge #sillyboy #addictionrecovery #youthempowerment
A Christmas I Will Never Forget.
After the farm being flooded twice in the first two weeks of December and all of the horses and animals having to stay indoors for almost three weeks, I couldn’t imagine anything else happening to make things worse.
But then…
Our temperatures dropped to unheard of lows, 8 degrees with windchills being in the negative digits. Personally, I’ve never dealt with indoor water buckets frozen solid until now.
With rolling blackouts our thermostat that runs the well house’s heater tripped and we lost all access to water which becomes even more essential in the freezing temperatures.
Not to mention, all of our horses eat “mash” and with four totally unexpected re-feeds our daily work has quadrupled. For the past couple of weeks I have cried many tears of frustration, anger, and exhaustion and losing water literally sent me over the edge.
And then I find out that one of our precious dedicated volunteer’s house burned to the ground while her parents were having dinner to celebrate her mom’s last chemo treatment for breast cancer. The fire happened so quickly that she had to jump out of her second story window. She lost her beloved kitty and her car. This made my heart even more heavy.
But wait….
On Christmas Eve, our mighty little village showed up and showed out. They brought water in jugs, bowls, jars, and whatever else they could fill. Brought in more tea kettles, propane, and more. But most importantly, they brought hope and hands.
While most people were sitting in their warm houses celebrating that holidays, these people came together and sacrificed their comfort and celebrating to help me make sure all the animals were warm, fed, and had plenty of water.
I’ll be honest, there are people that have disappointed me over the past week or so by not even offering a hand or checking on my well being and I allowed my crushed expectations to make my Christmas less than merry. I couldn’t bring myself to post anythin
🆘 🔥 ⚠️We need a village to help us! We are not just a horse rescue. We also rescue small farm animals and utilize all of our rescues to provide alternative therapeutic activities for underserved children and women!!⚠️🔥🆘
Donate Now w/ this link, details below 😊
https://givebutter.com/oIP5h1#
Or if you would rather purchase from our Amazon wishlist (you can also choose us as your charity w/ Amazon Smiles), here is the link to our wishlist!
https://a.co/1CjvYH8
Below is our video for our vision to make a larger impact in 2023! We cannot achieve our vision without help from our village!
Now onto the flooding details…
Our facility flooded on December 5 after 24 hours of torrential downpours. When we arrived early that morning, we could not access the farm by car because the driveway was covered in deep, fast, moving water. Three of our four main paddocks looked like a giant pond and several feet deep at some points.
Upon further inspection, we found seven of the nine stalls in the main barn were soaked, we lost half of our pine shavings, the secondary barn had only two dry stalls, and because of the ground moisture, everything in the main barn was damp. After the flood waters receded, pockets of water several inches deep remained along deep and slick mud. We still cannot use our three paddocks for fear of the horses injuring themselves and developing thrush and other hoof and leg complications. Not being able to turn the horses out and losing most of our stall bedding is not only creating a financial burden but also increasing the labor to try and maintain a clean and healthy environment for our horses, staff, volunteers, and clients.
Last night, (December 14th)we flooded again. We are in extreme need of items to get us through what looks to be an ongoing situation for several more weeks or so. Our neighbor and volunteer, Skye, told us yesterday, "Last year was mild; this is the norm for this property and my home." Our property owner sa
🎄🐎 Sunday Spotlight & Wishlist 🐎🎄
Nudge is an OTTB who clearly knows how to utilize his long neck to snack on his neighbor’s hay.
Thoroughbreds often get a bad rap yet we find them to have HUGE heart and goofy personalities.
One man’s “trash” that has become one of our treasures.
We have received some messages concerning our “Flood Crisis” fundraiser with folks asking if we have a list wish that they may also purchase from. We put together a list of things we need now or on a consistent basis and a few wishes.
If you would like to take a look, here is the link to our Amazon Wishlist!
https://smile.amazon.com/hz/charitylist/ls/8KDFGN4T98NY?ref_=smi_se_cl_u_rd_www&ref_=smi_se_cl_rd_cl
If you would like to contribute or share our current fundraiser, here is that link!
https://givebutter.com/FloodCrisis
Happy Sunday friends!
Team Serendipity 🎄🐎🎄
