Pity the poor adult who has lost their sense of enchantment. ~ Scott M. Peck, M.D.
For the last number of years, my family and I have gone to Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas, to spend Christmas in a log cabin in the mountains. Hiking in the beautiful Ouachita Mountains has become one of our favorite past times. The fresh, crisp air during a good hike always made dinner time something special to look forward to. We also enjoyed visiting other near by towns, tasting the wonderful food and looking at the brightly decorated shops with their quaint trimmings for the Christmas Season. We have enjoyed doing this with our children, as we have left the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush behind, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. We always bring personal gifts along with us and yet, in the material world in which we live, we are wanting to instill in our children that the greatest gift you can give is love and the celebration of family time together.
It was last December, when on the way down from Petit Jean mountain, my husband discovered a little animal farm. He came back to the cabin and told me that he had a surprise for the kids and not to tell them just yet. Horse back riding was going to be the big event of the day and although a novice by far, I too, was looking forward to riding a horse again. My husband finally sprang the surprise on our children and they could not wait for this little adventure that their Papa had planned.
This Animal Farm was new to this area and therefore we had never seen it during our earlier trips to the area. It was only a short distance from our cabin to the farm and upon our arrival, we all rushed out of the vehicle to see what was in store for us. And, what a delightful surprise it was!
As the owner (a lady who wanted to open this farm for the towns-people and the tourists there) prepared to saddle a horse for each of us, we were curious to see what this friendly place offered, so we all took a little walk around this farm. It only really consisted of a quaint red barn, which had stalls separating some of the animals and outside of the barn was a corral for the horses, and there we found a friendly turkey, some chickens, and a few dogs.
It was only a few minutes later that I heard my daughter shout from inside the barn, “Oh Mama, look at this kitty playing with this cute little piglet.” My son soon joined in with exuberance and shouted, “Mama, listen to this donkey. I’ve never heard a donkey sound like that before.” This donkey made all of us laugh as he bellowed and howled, showing off his large donkey teeth. My children were in awe of all the baby animals – they loved watching the little goats frolicsome playing in some hay and the kittens were especially interested in one particular piglet as she rolled around in the dirt. The little baby chicks didn’t seem at all bothered that they were the tiniest ones in the barn – they didn’t appear to have a care in the world and seemed to enjoy their existence just as it was. “Look at how happy these animals are,” shouted my daughter as she picked up one of those kittens with as much happiness and joy as all the animals seemed to feel.
The spirit of harmony and togetherness in this tiny farm was indescribable….and, it was magical! As I stood back taking in this lovely scene and for a brief moment, thinking of a painful and heartbreaking situation back home, my own heart was capturing the love, the happiness, and the enchantment of the moment. This was something that I had only seen in children’s story books which I had so often read to my pre-schoolers and yet, here in this tiny farm, it was a reality. It was the perfect definition of Christmas and a wonderful gift we all will remember for many years to come.
As we went on our horseback ride, all we could talk about was that happy scene we had just left behind. My daughter could not wait to go back and pet the animals just one more time and my son wanted to hear that funny donkey bellow again before we left. I enjoyed watching the owner engage herself with her animal friends as she gave so much love and care to them. My husband looked over at me and smiled….and, I smiled back as I understood how pleased he was that he found this farm and could offer such a gift to his family. It was a special memory indeed!
