We are beyond excited that Healing Herd Therapy Farm is officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation! We were able to launch a website a few weeks ago to explain who we are and what we offer for the community. It is a simple website, but we are happy that we were able to create it ourselves inexpensively. We hope to make improvements to it as the foundation grows. Our flower fundraiser was a success on July 28 thanks to so many! Thanks to board members Tera Miller and Rachel Hamblock for donating their time to harvest flowers on the farm and arrange the most beautiful bouquets for supporters. We appreciate flower farmer Jenny who grew the beautiful flowers on the farm. Thanks to everyone who joined us and purchased flowers to support the mission.
Please take a look here and follow Healing Herd therapy Farm on Facebook and instagram. We appreciate it!
The farm and its inhabitants have always stirred up wonder in me. The awe I feel when witnessing a baby goat being born never ceases to amaze me even after fourteen kidding seasons. When witnessing a powerful storm sweep across the hilltop prairie or watching a swarm of bees in a tree I feel intense respect for mother nature. The bittersweet beauty of seeing one of our livestock guardian dogs lay right up against Crouton, a goat that passed away from illness, as the other dog stood guard will forever stay etched in my mind. I have seen nature inspire awe in our farm visitors too, no matter the age. I believe that people who experience awe and reverence in nature are moved to want to protect and cherish it. That is one of the reasons we are very excited to offer Animal Assisted Therapy services to children in our community. We believe if a child’s reverence for the natural world, for animals, for good in human beings, and for peace is cultivated and nurtured; they will likely make choices that reflect their reverence, which in turn, creates a more compassionate and peaceful world. Animal human interactions help to nurture that reverence.
I continue to be fascinated by awe not just because it fosters reverence for nature but how it also seems to improve your mood and help to combat feelings of stress and overwhelm. It also sparks creativity and contemplation about the vast mysteries of the world. Awe doesn’t just take place on the farm. Awe can be found in witnessing moral beauty. Moral beauty was a term I had not heard of until recently. I thought the concept was really beautiful. If you are not familiar with the concept, moral beauty relates to one’s actions that reflect deep character and generosity. The world is filled with moral beauty, from random acts of kindness from strangers to people helping others to overcome adversity. I hope you witness some of that beauty today and are filled with awe!
Here is what is happening at Gretta’s Goats in early Fall. Goat hikes will be ramping back up in September as the weather cools off. The spring baby goats have just started to join us on the hikes and it is ridiculously cute. There will be many chances to come to the farm and learn the art and science of soap making this fall. Learn to make your own soap this year to give as holiday gifts. Click here to see a list of events and classes for the fall
We will be hosting a new event in October with Miranda Grisales-Buell, Owner and Founder of Healing Home Ayurveda in Rockford. Join us for a fall forest wellness/meditation walk with the goats on October 12 at 10AM-11:30AM. 40% of the proceeds from the sale of tickets will benefit Healing Herd Therapy Farm’s mission of providing free animal assisted therapy for kids. Get tickets and learn more here.
Thanks for supporting Gretta’s Goats and Healing Herd Therapy Farm. We appreciate you all!
