Animal Lover to my Core

I felt like I needed to update from my last blog post. I was in a pretty dark place because it had been a rough few weeks and it had taken its emotional toll on me. It takes me a while to work through stuff in my head and get my head back on straight. Earlier this week, I had sworn off any more animals because the heartache and heartbreak gets to be so hard on my heart. I wondered how many times my heart could be broken before it wasnt able to be fixed.

As an animal lover, animal advocate, animal rescuer, I tend to be attracted to those like myself, those who understand my struggles, those who understand the ups and the downs, those who have felt the immense joy of saving an animal and the utter despair of losing one. It has been through those folks that I have been able to get myself sorted out and back on track. They go through the same kind of things that I go through. They know how it feels and how it crushes you and how you still feel guilty even though your head knows you did all you could do, you did the best you could do, you tried your hardest. I guess in seeing my fellow animal advocates go through their losses and struggles, I was able to try to help them through it and by doing that I noticed that I should be listening to my own words. I am thankful every day for these folks. I know that no matter what I say or do or feel, that they understand. 💙

It has been my passion since I was a small child to save all the animals. I was always bringing something home. It usually worked against me because my parents put their foot down. Thats why being an adult with my own place is amazeballs........and that place being my long dreamt of FARM......means there is even more room for the furries and the featheries and nobody can tell me no!!!! hehe I mean, sometimes they try, but if ya know me, ya know I am stubborn and I dont listen.

So....with all that being said, I still want to save all the animals I can. I will always do my best by them and love them every day they are with me. I will always struggle with losing them and that I cannot change. It is also a part of who I am. But another part of who I am is a strong person who always finds a way to carry on. There are so many animals in this world who need animal warriors like myself and my advocate friends, and that need is only getting moreso. I know that I can only do what I can do within reason and I try not to overwhelm myself. I know that I cannot save them all, no matter how much I want to. 

CHEERS to all my fellow animal advocates!!! Know that you MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! You matter!! You are amazing!!!!! Animals will always depend on you to be their voice, be their warrior!!! We must fight on, despite the tears that may be running down our cheeks, despite our fears of losing another precious soul. WE MUST FIGHT ON!!!!!!

I love you all 💜 Thank you for being who you are!! Thank you for being in my life!!! Thank you for all you do to help animals!!! Thank you for allowing me into your darkest thoughts and sorrows so that you could, in turn, help me through my darkest thoughts and sorrows!!!!!

PS We have our next animal project in mind!! Stay tuned!!! hehe

Til next time.....

I'm Back!!

To be honest, I hadn't even thought of my blog in a very long time. Life has been crazy and a constant chaos and blogging, sadly, just never seemed to make it onto my TO DO list each day. Well, today, a friend of mine (Hi Beth!!) asked me about my blog and I went "Oh yeah, I did used to blog!!". So, here I am!! And let me tell ya.......after looking back over my last posts on here, I just wanna say WOW!!! I had a lil bit of stuff goin on, huh?? lmao

I am happy to report that that "stuff", is in the past. I admit I had alot of things to work on, some things got stuck in my head and were on repeat for quite a while. I had some growing and learning to do in order to be able to LET IT GO. But, I am in a good place now. I am..............HAPPY. Say what?? lol

My very last post was about finding myself. Well actually, not to very long ago, in fact, I had an epiphany. I have been where I belong since a little before Leo was born, so two years and some change. I don't know why I didn't see it or realize it sooner, or maybe I did and just didn't know it enough to put it into words. But one day it just hit me and I was like "DUH, Stef" and then I just smiled because it made me happy. I bet you probably wanna know just where I belong, don't ya?? Well, if ya don't then you can leave now. If you do, then you will probably say you already knew that when you hear it. The place I feel like I belong is........................drumroll please..............our ANIMAL CENTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, let's all hear the gigantic DUHHHHHHH!!!! ;) It's ok, I can take it. Promise!! Anyway, the Animal Center........it started with seeing a dog that was just so adorable, I knew I had to have him. Mocha. Adopted. Then it progressed into fostering dogs and helping to find them homes and while I had them in my home, work on training and socializing them. Well, I had quite a few successes!!!! But then, I slowly but surely turned into a Foster Failure. lmao I began ADOPTING my foster dogs. Shep, Monty, Shiloh, Scottie. I couldn't help it. Their stories and their lil faces just found a way into my heart and I didn't feel like anyone else could love them better than I could. Meh, it happens. hehe Unconditional love and a desire to help the helpless, the animals that get dumped and pushed aside and treated like they are worthless. It's a tough thing to do, the sad stories you hear, the things you see done to animals, the look in their eyes, having to let some go when all else has been exhausted, it hurts your heart to the very core. But more times than not, it is the most rewarding and heart-filling thing I have ever done. More times than not, there are great success stories and happily ever after endings and you encounter amazing people who make you forget about all the horrible people out there. I just wish I could do more......

Whew!! Ok, I think that is enough for one blog. Now that it is back on my radar though, I hope that I can make it a regular thing again.

Til then....

xoxo
S