I’ve always enjoyed volunteering. Due to the fast pace and incredible demands of our modern culture, I often wonder if the gift of one’s time has become a greater sacrifice than it once might have been. However, because we measure our lives in time, I’m inclined to say that the time of each and every individual has and always will be equally great. Anyway, as I value my life, I equally value my time, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than in service to others!
As part of my volunteer service, I’ve arranged to volunteer at Dove Creek Ranch for the fall semester. Dove Creek Ranch is a horse rescue and cattle ranch a touch southeast of Canyon. Settled in a beautiful little canyon, the ranch rescues abused horses with the hopes of bringing them back to health and finding them new and better homes.
Meet Charlie Brown! When he and his buddy were rescued a few months back, they were starving and very near death. I was told there was another horse with them that didn’t make it. Luckily, Charlie Brown is doing fantastic! He’s putting on weight consistently and has successfully completed his quarantine period. When a new horse comes to Dove Creek Ranch, he or she is kept separate from the herd until it is determined that they are healthy enough to interact with the other horses. As social animals, equine establish a packing-order, and if a weak or dying horse attempts to enter the herd it will be bullied by the stronger animals.
My time at Dove Creek thus far has only been an introduction, but I expect to help care for and clean up after the horses over the course of the fall semester.
To complete my volunteer hours, I went back home to Friona. The Parmer County Heritage Museum, as many of you know, is very near and dear to my heart. I was only able to clean and rearrange displays, but as always, I still learned something new.
This china was donated by my Mother and was a collection handed down to her by my great grand-mother. In fact, some of these pieces she painted herself! Though there is nothing glamorous about dusting, my time spend here was incredibly peaceful and reflective. As I picked up and dusted tea cups, saucers, bowls and plates, I imagined the kitchens these items once must have inhabited and the pride they might have invoked in their owners. I thought about my great-grandmother, and imagined her painting delicate flowers on the fragile porcelain. While part of me covets her work for my own, I think she would be happy to know that her china is now on display for others to see and also treasure.
