Saturday, July 20, 2024, Joe and I attended a bonfire at our friend, Juli’s home. I have written about Juli in the past as she is the owner of Hidden Gem Spa. Her magic hands have been instrumental in keeping the skin on my face and neck healthy.
Juli has sold her ranch and will be moving about an hour north of us.
While she has no plans to continue her spa business, she will be coming three
times a week to Rogers to see clients in her behavioral health therapy practice. Rogers is
about ten minutes from us.
The other good news is that while she cannot keep her rescue horses at
her new home, she will have them at a boarding facility near her. The horses
have been beneficial in the animal assisted psychotherapy segment of her psychotherapy
practice.
Joe and I were delighted to meet Juli’s other guests, Angie, Pam and
her son Caleb, and Mr. B. (I did not get contact info for Mr. B., so I do not
have permission to use his name). Mr. B. and Angie have been helping Juli with
getting the ranch ready for the new owner. He was a gracious and kind man in
his early sixties. I later learned he was introduced to Juli by Angie.
Angie and Mr. B. became friends when they met at a non-profit event as volunteers.
The organization is One Good Deed, their website is https://www.one-good-deed.org/. Their
history is a terrific read, an excerpt: “started by a small group of
neighborhood moms who dedicated one night a month to their friendship was the
seed of One Good Deed.” Each month they focus on one project that benefits others
in the Minneapolis area. Their mission statement: “Building kinder communities
one good deed at a time.”
At one point everyone went off to feed and medicate the horses, Angie
and I stayed behind and talked. She is an avid reader and we chatted about the
book she is currently reading, she shared details about her trip to Ireland in
2022, and listened to me go on about how much I loved living in Egypt the year
we were there. I feel like I have a new sister!
Pam and Juli went to high school together here in Minnesota. Pam now
lives in North Carolina. She was accompanied by her teenage son, Caleb. Caleb’s neurodiversity includes a gift for the best hugs! That
young man gave me a wonderful goodbye hug that I found soothing. Pam sent me
photos she took of Juli and Caleb with the horses and the moon on Saturday
night. Pam landed in my heart when she, at Caleb’s urging, told a ghost story
around the firepit. Her story was funny and sweet. She obviously loves creativity.
In addition to the following photos, she shared her Stampin Up website SunnyGirlScraps
blog at https://sunnygirlscraps.com/blog.
Caleb has been taking riding lessons and has a joy for the horses. This was the first time he met Juli's horses.
And a sampling of Pam's moon photos:
We were enjoying the company so much that we suddenly realized it was 10:00pm. Joe and I are usually in bed by 8:30pm or 9:00pm. The time we spent with these wonderful people went by quickly.
This evening reminded me of another amazing evening Joe and I had with one
of our neighbors on July 5th. It was a driveway birthday celebration
for the husband of the family. (I really have to work on getting permission to
use their names – this family has become a huge part of why I cherish the
neighbors on our block – they are so inclusive of us). We got to meet a few of
their family and friends and there were two mechanical engineers present so
that made for interesting conversations.
When I am counting my blessings, the people we are meeting will be
on the list.
It was a wonderful blessing meeting and connecting with you on Saturday. I look forward to visiting you in the future ❤
ReplyDeleteAngie, I look forward to it!!
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