by Kim Meeder
Praise for
Blind Hope
“Blind Hope is a powerful story, made even more beautiful by the fact that it is not simply a fairy tale. Kim Meeder creatively recalls for us how Laurie Sacher’s unique interactions with the dog she saved ended up pointing her back to her Savior. In a culture obsessed with reality TV, I pray our hearts can not only be entertained and perhaps touched by this true story, but that we would be changed by it.”
—ANGELA ALCORN STUMP, co-author of The Ishbane Conspiracy
“On her ranch in Oregon, Kim Meeder brings wounded horses and broken kids together and sees healing miracles on a regular basis. Blind Hope, a wonderful analogy of how God sees and loves his children, shows how a blind and ill dog named Mia helped to bring healing, love, and acceptance to the young woman who rescued her. Laurie’s statement ‘My dog is blind … and now I see’ is the story of all of us. This book could change your life.”
—LAURAINE SNELLING, author of No Distance Too Far, all the Red River series, and One Perfect Day along with many other novels
“I thank God for Kim Meeder—she is one of my heroes! Her passionate love for the Lord, for children of all ages, and for animals is inspiring. She is thoroughly dedicated to whatever assignment God brings her way, including writing this beautiful account of the special bond between a woman and her dog. Kim brings an ongoing message of hope with this story, and she does it so well.”
—DANAE DOBSON, author of Let’s Walk the Talk
“Skidboot opened my eyes to a lot of life and love. After reading about Laurie and Mia, I learned even deeper lessons that our four-legged friends can teach us. This book shows very clearly how God has used dogs to spread his love. Thank you, Kim and Laurie, for sharing this story.”
—DAVID HARTWIG, friend of Skidboot, the world-famous Texas blue heeler, featured in Angel Dogs with a Mission: Divine Messengers in Service to All Life
“Kim Meeder takes the reader along on a unforgettable journey with Laurie and her blind dog, Mia. Dog and human bring out the best in each other through hardship and friendship as the bond between the two grows deeper. And the beauty of nature provides the path that Laurie and Mia travel as they experience the ups and downs during teachable moments.”
—JOAN DALTON, founder and executive director, Project POOCH
“Kim Meeder again shares a touching story of how God continues to use all of creation to move in and through our lives. Blind Hope gives us another glimpse into the amazing animal-human bonds that can bring fullness to our lives and move us to reach out to others, to reach out to hope, joy, and authentic love.”
—DANNA L. HARVEY, animal-assisted therapy handler
“Poignant and convicting. I was touched by the way Kim told Laurie and Mia’s story. I hope I can be as open to hearing the voice of God through unexpected ways.”
—DIANE BLOYD KENT, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind
“The human-animal bond is a special connection. Kim Meeder highlights this in Blind Hope as she draws parallels between each one of us and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As Kim says, ‘To trust, listen, and believe takes time and practice.’ She surely knows how to portray an important message of salvation while entertaining and showing life lessons with Laurie and Mia.”
—ROXIE MUDDER, volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind
Praise for Kim Meeder’s Previous Books
“Kim Meeder vibrantly shares—and lives—an amazing story of hope and restoration. A triumph of recovery for wounded hearts.”
—LOUIE GIGLIO, director, Passion Conferences, best-selling author
“I love good stories, and these are among the very best. Kim Meeder writes with a mesmerizing, wonderfully refreshing beauty. If your soul needs a fresh touch, reading this book is like opening a door and welcoming hope inside.”
—ALICE GRAY, best-selling compiler of Stories for the Heart
Other Books by Kim Meeder
Hope Rising
Bridge Called Hope
For Laurie
Thank you for your courage in choosing to be transparent and honest. In doing so, you knew you would become vulnerable to the judgment of others. Yet you took that risk on the chance that through your story … some would find hope.
This little book has become that endeavor; it is your
Blind Hope.
Contents
Other Books by this Author
Title Page
Dedication
The Humble Beginning
Prologue: The Sound of Trust
1 The Rescue
2 The Facade
3 The Choice
4 The Calling
5 The Lesson of Love
6 The Diagnosis
7 The Three Things
8 The Light
9 The Walk
10 The Storm
11 The Purpose in Proximity
12 The Gift of Joy
13 The Bridge of Trust
14 The Closet
15 The Hope
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
About Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch
Stories from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams
Dear friend,
Before you come along on this journey with a woman, a friend, and a dog, please allow me to take you back to the founding of the ranch, the single seed from which this story was gleaned. Just like I tell our visitors, I would say to you now, “This is how it all began. Come, walk with me …
“At first, there was nothing … nothing except a hole in the ground.”
Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch arose from extremely humble beginnings. In 1995 my husband, Troy, and I purchased the only piece of property we could afford—a forlorn, abandoned rock quarry that had been mined for cinders. The local department of transportation crushed this abrasive stone to spread across winter roads for traction. The property looked as if a hungry giant had unceremoniously chomped out a three-acre bite from the upper half. The massive wound inflicted by the mining operation had also removed all the trees, grass, and topsoil. What remained was nothing more than a gaping red hole in the ground.
Completely devoid of its former natural beauty, the land looked so hideous that no one else wanted it. One fact others overlooked was the pit’s location on the western side of a small mountain. In Central Oregon, that means the acreage possessed a panoramic view of the Cascade Range, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This mountain range divides the entire state of Oregon with a row of formidable volcanoes ranging in elevation from seven thousand to more than eleven thousand feet. From the rim of the cinder pit, this parade of more than a dozen towering peaks creates a majestic skyline.
Looking outward at this geological masterpiece was awe inspiring. In contrast, looking downward was mortifying. Thankfully in this life we each get to choose in which direction we will cast our gaze. We each get to decide where our focus will reside. Troy and I chose to focus on what we could do. We chose to concentrate on the view and to restore a severely wounded piece of property.
Together, we appealed to the owners of the neighboring ranches for their garbage. The following two years, shovelful by shovelful, we hauled anything organic to cover the floor of our pit in order to create a seedbed. To renew the land, we brought in hundreds of tons of used stall shavings, moldy hay, and manure and spread them across the rocky wasteland that had become our residence. Troy, who at that time was a landscape contractor, carted home damaged and unwanted trees. Armed with shovels, picks, and pry bars, we dug large holes in which to plant the homeless trees. We often worked late into the night, with the
vast, open darkness illuminated only by the headlights of our truck.
Everyone faces a time when that “someday” is today and that “someone” … is you.
It was during this time that our first rescued horses arrived. I had been volunteering at a local breeding ranch, where I saw such atrocities that I would often leave vowing under my breath, “Someday this needs to change; someone needs to do something.” I believe everyone faces a time when that “someday” is today and that “someone” … is you.
I knew those devastated creatures wouldn’t survive much longer, so I negotiated their release. Of the two, one was a gray Anglo-Arab, emaciated to the point of missing about three hundred pounds, a third of her normal body weight. Denied the nourishment to grow properly, she had a chest so narrow that I couldn’t fit my closed fist between her front legs.
The second mare was a tall red bay with enormous brown eyes. I had witnessed the owner attack this lanky Anglo-Arab in such a savage rage that afterward he had to call a vet to come and suture a six-inch gash on her face.
Unknown to us at that time, those two rescued souls would become the forerunners of a vast stampede of needy horses soon to follow.
Troy and I watched in complete amazement as our ravaged property, filled with broken trees and broken horses, was transformed into the perfect setting to heal the hearts of broken children.
Drawn by word of mouth, kids started coming to the ranch—kids we didn’t even know. Typically a friend of a friend had told them about these formerly abused horses that needed help. The children would walk up our driveway armed with little more than the desire to offer their unique brands of love. Remarkably, the kids weren’t coming for what they could get but for what they could give.
At that time, our horses weren’t trained, nor were they strong enough to carry a rider. So the kids helped in all aspects of their care. Some children only wanted to groom the horses, taking extra time to comb, condition, and braid their manes and tails. Others stood with great patience, holding up large rubber pans of specialized feed to help the horses regain their lost weight. Many kids simply wanted to lead the mares up the grassy hill and just sit and watch them graze.
Feeding carrots to the horses ranked as a favorite fun activity. Brilliant orange foam lined each horse’s mouth as it chewed surplus loads of carrots. The horses savored the moment with heads down and eyes half closed, drooling pools of pure enjoyment. The sight and sound of that event always generated giggles from the children.
We watched in awe as these young ones—in their efforts to make the horses better—became better themselves.
Of all the kids who came to the ranch, there was one teenage girl who captured my heart. She was so broken inside that she had retreated into a world of silence. Although she could speak, she chose not to. Over time, I saw her reason for coming to the ranch: to feel safe and loved. Despite my efforts to release this young woman from her wordless prison, I was firmly locked out.
One day I was summoned away from her to take a long-distance phone call. When my call ended, I looked out the window and down the hill to check on her. She had taken the starving horse out and tied her to the hitching rail, and I could see their heads, lowered and close together. Curious, I kept watching. Finally the girl’s head bobbed up, along with the horse’s. And then I could clearly see what was happening. She was talking to the horse! From a starving girl to a starving horse, years of words poured out that no one had ever heard. From their parallel lives of pain, each understood the other better than most could understand either one of them. That was the moment when I knew I needed to build a place for this miracle of healing to thrive.
Simple encouragement from the little ranch in a cinder pit is reaching around the world.
Inspired by that singular occurrence of wondrous freedom, we decided to take action, and Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch was born. I determined to build a ranch where this type of release could happen without hindrance. A place that would come to be known as “The Ranch of Rescued Dreams.”
Since those early days, we’ve seen the ranch grow into an international phenomenon. Our twice-yearly Information Clinics have helped bring more than one hundred similar ranches into existence across the United States, Canada, and abroad. Simple encouragement from the little ranch in a cinder pit is reaching around the world. Since 1995 we’ve been involved in the rescue of more than three hundred horses and have welcomed approximately five thousand visitors during our annual season from March to Thanksgiving. To date, an estimated fifty thousand have been served by this tiny ranch—all free of charge.
The ranch continues to exist because of the generosity of others. With thirty resident horses and a paid staff, Crystal Peaks maintains its ability to reach out to horses, children, and families in need because of those who believe in our program and do what they can to support it.
One method of provision for Crystal Peaks is our long-term volunteer program, ranging from two to eight months. Working with our volunteers for an extended time gives us the opportunity to know their hearts. How they respond to others during times of physical and emotional stress is of particular significance. When the need arises to hire someone new, we look first to this group of volunteers.
Laurie Sacher came to our ranch through the volunteer program and is now a member of our staff. Her desire to give, to make a difference here in this place, compelled her to travel north from her home in the foothills of northern California. Equipped with a minimal knowledge of horses and a wish to work with kids, Laurie came to Crystal Peaks with a heart eager to serve.
This book tells the story of Laurie and a dog, with some unlikely rescues along the way. I hope you enjoy the journey, my friend.
Kim Meeder
It was seventeen degrees. Earth, snow, and sky converged into a milky emissary, whispering a timeless message of hushed peace. It was January in Central Oregon, and a glorious ice fog had coated every blade and branch with a one-inch layer of spiny rime. The frozen filigree embellished everything with its delicate crystal creations. Muted light shrouded all living things, now held captive in the icy embrace. The silent landscape murmured the promise of deep, abiding rest.
For me that rest would have to wait. I turned my truck off the dirt road that stretches north of Tumalo Reservoir and parked in the snow. From this access point, a wide wilderness invites adventurers to explore its latticed tangle of forgotten logging roads. I stowed my keys in a zippered pocket in my black running jacket and pulled on a pair of stretchy gloves. Soon my friend would meet me here for a long Sunday afternoon jog. Laurie and I were training for a marathon, her first and my tenth.
From the cab of my truck, I reveled in the peaceful setting. Weary from a heavy week of work, my heart welcomed the refuge of quiet. The small hiatus of silence soon was invaded, however, by the growing excitement of my dog, a Queensland blue heeler. She whined in anticipation, willing me to open the truck door to one of her favorite activities: a run in the snow with her mom.
Dogs that live with us—really live with us—often know their human friends better than we know ourselves.
Like all true ranchers, I never go anywhere without my faithful dog. Seven, or Sevi for short, is my third hand and foot and the thinking half of my brain. I’m sure she would finish my sentences if she could talk—and do a much better job of it! Dogs that live with us—really live with us—often know their human friends better than we know ourselves.
The comfort of my truck’s heater subsided, and brittle barbs of frigid air prickled through the glass. I snuggled my hat down over my ears and zipped up my jacket under my chin. When I stepped out of the truck, cold air engulfed me like an unseen wave. With my first quick breaths, I inhaled what felt like a million needles of ice. The assault on my throat and lungs drove me to hoist my collar even higher to cover my mouth.
While waiting for Laurie, I followed my prerun regimen, gearing up to spend a few hours in significant cold. I alternated jogging in place with pogo jumps to remain loose
and warm. Sevi jumped around me in ecstatic leaps. Her chorus of happy yips beckoned me, as if to say, “Hurry up! We have a wonderful world to explore!”
Few creatures know how to maximize the moment better than a dog.
In matters of life, dogs just get it. Sevi has taught me volumes more than I could ever hope to teach her. When it comes to demonstrating qualities like respect, forgiveness, and obedience and expressing emotions like love, joy, and peace, my dog operates on a level I can only hope to attain. Few creatures know how to maximize the moment better than a dog. Sevi’s example constantly reminds me that ten minutes ago is already in the past, so why think about the future when right now is just so much fun? Her exuberance for life shows me how to really enjoy the rich and simple pleasures found within each moment of my days.
Sevi and I persisted in our frigid dance until Laurie arrived. Her white car was almost invisible against the pallid backdrop of the wintry High Desert. After a quick hug, Laurie and I agreed on our time frame and what trail to explore. The breath from our brief conversation froze into thin veils, drifting above us like drowsy angels. Not wishing to stiffen in the deep cold, Laurie retrieved her dog, Mia, and the four of us set off.
Sevi and Mia collided in a jubilant canine hug and then bounded up the trail ahead of Laurie and me. Our once relaxed breath now rose behind us in measured white puffs. Shoulder to shoulder, like twin steam engines, we chugged over a crunchy mantle of frozen snow. Every stride took us deeper into a pristine realm of winter wilderness.
One metered breath at a time, our voices soon merged with the serene environment. Like a smooth stone skipping across a mirrored pond, our dialogue bounced from one subject to another. After several miles, I noticed something else between Laurie’s words. Because the rhythm of her voice had maintained a steady flow, I hadn’t been aware of it earlier. It wasn’t until Mia missed the turnoff onto a narrow, frozen logging road that I heard it—Laurie’s voice calling her straying dog back to her side.