I grew up on an animal farm with one brother and three sisters. We all had our chores. I milked the cow, gathered eggs, and built fences, etc. One day, at the age of ten, while I was out mowing the yard — an area covered with lots of trees — (sad to say, for my Daddy’s sake, we did not have zero turn lawn mowers), being the daydreamer I was, as I dreamed I climbed a few trees. My daydreams were very vivid. When I looked out over the back 40 acres, I saw a village of enthusiastic, passionate, happy children.
Growing up in a chuch that had an orphanage, and being a child when I created this dream village, it was all managed by little people. One managed the post office, another the gardening, there was a cook, a builder, and one who cared for the animals. Each one was doing what they LOVED to do. They were fulfilled and productive for the rest of the villagers.
Over the years, I continued to envision that community.
When I grew up, I married, taught school, reared my four children, built a couple businesses, farmed, and created a youth drama troupe which performed in the tristate area of Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
On top of that, I found myself dealing with a very traumatic situation which consumed much of my emotions and intellectual energy. The dream village died. I did not even remember it for 20 years. However, dreams have a life of their own, and 20 years later as I stepped outside our home and looked across the back 40 acres, there it was again. The vision of a place where people know who they are and live it all came rushing back to me. I saw the residents develop their skills, gifts, and talents by using them they care for each other. They were interlocked and fit together as pieces of a puzzle.
In preparation for this development, I’ve collected hundreds of pictures of fences, floors, buildings, artwork, furniture, equipment, paint schemes, etc. I’ve talked to people all over the world about its design and how to do high-quality and long-lasting construction. I’ve read up on and discussed the subjects of people management, education, boundaries, leadership, temperaments, communication, team building and income sources such as goat rearing, organic gardening, retirement centers, raising collard greens and pine trees, saving gold, the sale of art and musical productions, horseback riding, and RV parks. These would all be part of my plan for what I came to call the RANCH.
As my aspiration continued to grow and expand, my heart burned with compassion for the elderly. I watched my 90-year-old mother being entertained until death. I realized how much wisdom we have shelved in nursing homes. As a result of this, my child’s village expanded to include the elderly with the wisdom of their life experiences.
At the age of 92 my mother taught me how to plant asparagus, how to make molasses, and how to deal with mean people! LOL! Mother had so much to give. Can you imagine what a difference it would have made in her life to be able to teach the wisdom she gained? Could you see her being taken out for ice cream by a youth, while she told him what life was like in the horse-and-buggy days? Can you imagine the respect, values, and energy gained from that encounter? Is that not how you would like to live your retirement — to have the opportunity to teach and give back?
Youth today are lonely, discouraged, anxious, disappointed, threatened, and depressed. They need someone to listen to them, love them, and guide them. Our aging population today are lonely, discouraged, anxious, disappointed, threatened, and depressed. They need someone to listen to them, love them, and care for them.
Let’s bring these two hurting generations together and form a bond that could change the lives of everyone involved! Can you imagine the positive trickle-down effect this could have? Can you imagine what it would mean to those individuals directly touched by the RANCH and then to all those lives that they would in turn touch?
The RANCH will provide an innovative platform for the aging and the youth to give to each other, learn from each other, and love each other.
By the way…do you know where the richest pieces of real estate are in the world? They are the cemeteries. Therein are inventions not created, cures not discovered, and songs not sung. I ask, “Why is it that people go to their graves who are not yet birthed?”
In my research to become aware of the need, I traveled the world for over 15 years interviewing hundreds of people by asking:
“What is God’s dream for you?”
Their responses have been nothing short of fascinating…. 85% get a faraway look and say something like, “That’s an excellent question. I was just wondering that myself.” Subsequently, as I asked more probing questions, I could see a tiny glimmer of desire burning. With more questions, the glimmer grew into a flame. As I would blow on the flame, it began to blaze with that passionate desire of BEing. I’ve spent hours listening, as people begin to see themselves. They drop the veil and see their true selves, many times for the first time in their lives.
So why don’t people pursue who they are? I have found three reasons:
- They don’t know who they are.
- They don’t have a plan.
- They don’t have money.
I have developed a beautiful method to help people discover reason #1. For reason #2, I have spent many years strategizing with people on how to BE. I have found that once a person knows who they are and how to BE, then reason #3 – the true enemy – rears its ugly head. People simply cannot take time to BE who they are because they have to pay the bills. I have some of the most gifted and talented people in my life who know who they are and they know what gifts they have to give; however, none of them has the money to stop work and do it.
Here are just three examples:
Alice is an accomplished artist, author, speaker, and musician. She even teaches piano on the phone! Alice is so talented, but she has very little time to give to her talents because she has to pay the mortgage, the doctors, the insurance, and keep food on the table.
Barbara came out of the corporate world, became a Master Gardener, and created her own company called Affordable Elegance. She has exploded into the landscaping industry. She’s working her body beyond exhaustion because she can’t afford to have the equipment or the people that she needs to keep up with her passion.
Dr. Paulette is another friend who is gifted in team building, project planning, and teaching. She owns her own magazine and is a beautiful, inspirational person who is shackled from doing all the work that she wants to do for other people because of money. All these people – hard-working, high-character, loving, giving, talented individuals – are tied to jobs to pay mortgages, car notes, etc. They have lived a life of working for others’ dreams and are coming to the end… still struggling to pay the bills, while they wasted the energy that could have been used to inspire, encourage, and teach.
It makes me ill to watch talented, gifted people serving meals, cleaning homes, pumping gas, managing chain stores, selling clothes, or running daycare centers just to make money to pay bills. Consequently, they get home too exhausted to paint the picture, write the book, work on someone’s car, or compose a song. They don’t have enough money to buy excellent frames and oils, mechanic tools, gardening equipment, tractors, ovens, or stables for their true skills. I have found a system of true financial freedom and sustainability to answer that #3 reason.
Does this dream resonate with you? If any of these thoughts tug at your heartstrings and you’d like to hear more, please contact me.