It seems a rare thing these days to come upon a good storyteller. But I was simply captivated by this one.
It was windy and chilly, only in the low 40s, when John and I set out on a Friday morning that took us down winding back roads lined with live oak trees and hedgerows that would eventually land us at Gypsy Gold Horse Farm.
This is where, in a small building, that doubles as a gift shop, I’d find myself absolutely mesmerized by the life and stories shared by owner of the farm, Dennis Thompson.
Within just a few moments, I knew why the farm is rated the number one attraction in this area of Florida. The first hour Dennis, with an exceptional gift for storytelling, shared the history of Gypsy Vanner horses and how he and his late wife came upon them while visiting England. This set off a four year passion of researching all they could to find out about these horses, which eventually led to them being the first to bring these exquisite beauties to America.
With a palpable passion, a good dose of humor, and a heartfelt vulnerability Dennis so openly shared about the deep and intense grief of losing his wife due to an accident in the barn one evening while foal watching, I could have listened to Dennis all day.
Along with the Gypsy Vanner horses, Dennis also happens to deeply love donkeys too. And the farm has a mixture of donkeys and mules, which I couldn’t wait to have the opportunity to meet.
But it was during his talk I’d find my heart deepening in connection with donkeys – or in this case – mules – and something I’d never known about mules that Dennis shared.
Mules – produced by crossing a female horse and a male donkey – have a deep and strong need to nurture. They want nothing more than to be a mother. So much so they will steal the babies of other donkeys and mules, and even calves if they have the opportunity, so precautions have to be taken to insure this does not happen.
I found my eyes filling with tears as Dennis shared this about them. How in my own life, I’d never been a mother. And how until my mid 50s I thought something was ‘wrong’ with me that I didn’t have the same drive as many women do to be a mom.
But it was mid life that had me unexpectedly voicing out loud to a friend the repressed memory of being touched inappropriately as a child. This would eventually lead me to grieving the fact that I would in fact have loved to have been a mom. I had this need to nurture a child all along, but it had been buried under a depth of pain.
It had me reflecting even more on my love of donkeys and this message from the guidebook of my Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck:
Donkey is a symbol of strength and alertness, its grand, soft, and sensitive ears reminding you to be vigilant and stay in tune with the small voice within. This voice is consistently on guard, a loving presence guiding you through obstacles and helping you overcome challenges without too much upheaval.
If you’ve ever observed a donkey you will see they walk the same path every day. Over time, this path becomes well-worn; a wonderful metaphor for you to remain on course and stay attentive to that which you know is at the heart of what is best and in alignment for your life.
Be wary of those who may try to pull you away from the trail you intuitively know is your soul’s calling. In this way, Donkey’s stubbornness can be a positive influence, reminding you to lean into your heart’s knowing and not budge from your truth.
By staying on your perfectly designed path, you will be given the gift of resting more comfortably and easily in the here and now. When you find yourself feeling off-balance, it is a clue to check in with your mind and observe whether it has either drifted into the past or is worried about the future. Take gentle note and then, like the swish of a Donkey’s tail swats away the flies, let those thoughts go.
By staying in touch with what’s right before you and remembering to be in tune with your personal power, you will feel fulfilled as you observe the path of wisdom you’ve walked and achieved because of persistence and endurance.
While I never had the opportunity to nurture a child of my own, my path was to remain on course to heal my inner child within. That is what I came here to do. This, just as important as nurturing that of an offspring. And while this isn’t always recognized in our society, learning about the strong nurturing motherly drive of mules, I saw myself in them – determined, vigilant, and a loving presence to myself that needed all my nurturing in order to add a healing positive vibration to our planet.
This is the silent healing work that some of us have chosen to do in this lifetime. And while I’ve not always felt seen or heard, and this has been deeply painful at times, hearing this about mules, it’s what happened during the second half of the tour that I saw a reflection of myself in a mule.
As we approached the area with the mules and donkeys most of them came running with enthusiasm to the fence. But there was one mule who stayed behind and all of a sudden bellowed out a bray as if to say, “Hey! Don’t forget about me! I’m here too!”
We all laughed and the bray of that mule was music to my ears. And how intriguing, I thought, that a mule being a cross between a horse and a donkey and its symbolism I’d never considered before. Horse to me speaks of empowerment, while Donkey speaks to me of endurance. How learning to stand in our power takes perseverance, but once we see clearly, just like the mule, letting out a bray is a way in which we can share our voice too.
Don’t worry, dear, sweet mule, I hear you and I will never forget you or your delightful bray that reminded me that we all have something worth saying and how important it is to love and accept ourselves just as we are.
P.S. Stay tuned if you love donkeys as my next blog post I’ll share about meeting (and hugging!) a mini donkey and her baby, Wisdom, plus the beautiful future mission of the donkeys at Gypsy Gold Horse Farm.
XO
Barb
