Goats and Revelations

This is a picture of Parker…posing for his first blog post 🙂

Let’s start at the end and we’ll work our way to the beginning…

Last Friday I walked into the barn thinking it was just going to be a quick visit and immediately Parker (a beautiful, kind and intelligent boer goat) met me at the pasture gate and said “we are meant to go with you,” (when the barn owner sells the home that the goats have now) this kind of caught me off guard because I had already decided that asking my husband to take two extra horses with us when we move to our new place was asking enough and that the goats would be called somewhere else…. as much as I hated the idea of parting with them, that was the answer I received a few months back.

I immediately felt more eyes upon me when I turned from Parker to see the other goats surrounding me and agreeing. I took a deep breath, and somewhere in my heart must have known they were right and said, “Okay, I need you to give me an answer of how this will happen and how I can support you because supporting a new baby, two dogs and a horse on one income is enough…..there has to be another way.” So I reassured the goats that I heard them and that I would do anything I could to keep us all together as a family because I know that their part in the healings that occur at the barn are just as important as what the land and horses offer. I told them to show me a way.

I walked out into the pasture and sat under my favorite willow tree and just soaked it all in, the beautiful dragonflies floating by, the little baby turtle heads poking up from the top of the pond (one even being brave and sitting on the surf board aerator in the pond!), listened to the sounds of nature and suddenly it hit me!

Write a blog! Hold fundraisers! Let the world know what you’re doing, there are people out there who want to support what is in my heart and what we offer at 16 Hands of Love and I also knew in that instant that it was time to begin the process of starting  a non-profit organization based on what I was already offering so that I can reach those (children, adults, families) who truly need this but might not have the means at this time.

So here I am, stepping out, trusting and excited for the journey ahead!

My intent for this blog is to reach others who believe in what we are doing at 16 Hands of Love and want to help our world to become a more heart centered world, residing in peace and love while treating each other, nature and animals with equality.  I hope to be an inspiration and am looking for support…in all ways…volunteers, financially, etc…and the next step is raising money to help me rescue and provide a home (acreage, food, healthcare, a barn, etc.) to our current family of 10 goats, 3 horses, a barn cat (if she chooses to come along) and possibly a chicken or two so that I can continue to offer outdoor learning and healing events and sessions for children and adults through the use of animals and nature.  Along the way, I am sure I will rescue and want to be able to offer a “forever home” to other animals if they make it clear to me that they choose to be apart of what we offer at 16 Hands of Love.

Through these blogs, I will be sharing how I began on my journey, all of the amazing miracles that have occurred since I found and pursued my passion and individual stories of each of the animals at the barn that show how they have made a difference in our world.

I thank each and every one of you in advance who take the time to read my blog and those who support 16 Hands of Love in whatever way their heart feels called to do.

You can learn more by visiting our website at www.16HandsofLove.org or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/16handsoflove.  If you are interested in donating or volunteering, please contact me at Angela@16HandsofLove.org

You can donate via the “Animal Rescue / Donations” tab via our website, http://www.16handsoflove.org or via PayPal using email: Angela@16handsoflove.org or mail a check to our business address: 16 Hands of Love, 5019 Louise Street, Seabrook, TX 77586

Wishing you all well and sending peace and love!

Angela and the Herd at 16 Hands of Love

 

 

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Goats and Revelations…Part II

Who would have known that Lucy’s passing would have been so pivotal for us in our journey?

But it comes as no surprise in what she brought with her energy. She shook things up. Kept us on our toes and owning our truth. 

You see, Lucy bounced back from these ‘episodes’ after she was “accidentally mated with” by a temporarily fostered Billy goat (it was her dying wish though).  She told me in her first bought of illness, immediately after being mated with, that it would be the death of her.

That was November and she didn’t pass until May 1st. She had a couple more bouts and the vets we consulted thought UTI but nothing seemed to work. So finally, after the 4th time of going through this, she told myself and an animal intuitive to “prepare” and she asked for a space that she could lie in that was her own and private. 

So we had the 3rd vet out during her last bought and at the end many of us thought she would bounce back but in the back of my mind I kept remembering her first words. 

Then, out of the blue I get a message about rescuing these 2 goats. Now, I get asked often to rescue goats and I always go with my intuition and also what I hear from them about it. I had been feeling 2 goats with horns for about 8 months but the ones I had considered rescuing before this hadn’t worked out but when these 2 new rescues (a pair and both with horns) came to me it was an immediate yes. A yes that comes without me even being aware of typing the message, yes. 

And before I know it I’m on the road to go get them. And this isn’t always how I do this, many times I sit and digest and give it space. Not this time. So as I’m on my way to get these two new rescues, I’m counting goats and thinking …I’m over my count. You see, I currently lease where we are located and have an agreement that I won’t go over my original count of rescued goats. I’ve had 8 and these two new boys put me at 9 but Lucy’s spirit kept saying, “Go! I am passing. I know I seem like I’m rebounding but go.”

So as I’m on my way I remember to ask for a sign as I was a little confused at the urgency of this whole situation (from myself, not the person I’m rescuing them from) and right as I turn on the street to get the goats, a massive hawk is sitting perched on a wire. The hawk has been my animal totem since I began this journey in 2013. It brings me many messages and this time it was a huge TRUST message. A “keep going, you’re hearing correctly and on the right path” and I remember thinking, something is up. Something big is moving here. Pay attention. So I get the boys and another sign for me is that one is named Benny, I didn’t know that before I got them and that is my brothers dogs name. So just another reassuring sign. 

So I get them to our home, where we lease, and get them settled and not even 24 hours later I get the call that Lucy has transitioned. 

She tells me as I send her soul off in a blessing to hold onto her strength. To call on her as I need her and she really wanted me to know that her strength and courage is always with me when I ask for it. 

And within 3 hours her words of wisdom are put to the test. 

The barn owner didn’t realize I had some goats pass over the last year and that our new ones are just bringing us back to our original count and tells me that if I am to keep these new boys (or really to continue rescuing goats) that I have a 60-day notice.

Well. This might have been my wish in disguise as I’ve always known that we are to have our own land for us to create with and grow with as we need and to have full determination in who and what and how we rescue and serve. 

But I’ve kind of been holding on to one tree branch before I let go to grab another, in the sense of staying in a situation that no longer serves myself or the herd. 

Not really fully standing in my strength and courage or really fully honoring my TRUE self. And Lucy’s death prompted all of this. She prompted me to get the new goats, which ultimately catapulted me into standing in my power saying to the barn owner, I choose the 60-day leave notice over giving up any more of who or what we stand for at 16 Hands of Love, and ultimately to myself in following and honoring and trusting my honest knowing of what’s next for us and that we truly have reached our limits of growth where we are at and you can’t stay in the same situation and grow at the same time. 

So through all of this. Lucy had my back. She waited for the perfect moment to pass, she pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone and said, “get spicy! Be courageous! Take the leap before you know the next step.” 

And so we are. 

We have given our notice and we will be making a change in the next 60-90 days or so and we trust completely that the best and right next fit will be there. We’ve got Lucy power!

And for those who have followed us from our move before this one, the blog “Goats and Revelations” even said then “the goats are meant to go with us.” So when the barn owner said I can’t keep them or rescue any more, I didn’t hesitate to choose the goats. 

“Here’s to Bailey! Our Sweet Goat Friend”

What a gift 2021 has already been to us. 

We’ve been able to both celebrate and honor the life and presence of sweet Bailey who choose to leave her physical form New Years Day 2021. 

The human part of us might choose to view this as a not so pleasant start to a new year but another side of me knows differently. Not saying it doesn’t hurt to loose them. But when you can see the gift in birth and death and know it’s their birthright as well as a death-right and that they have their highest good in their journey, a shift begins to occur. The hardest part for me is not having their physical presence. 

But sweet Bailey and I got to spend some alone time in my truck while waiting for the vet for the last time. And I got to sing some of my favorite songs to her, the one in particular that stood out was “Around the Stars We Go” by Paul Luftenegger and one thing it said was how in dying we are born into eternal life.

I felt Bailey’s spirit so strongly as she reassured me over and over again how this was her choice, and she did end up passing on her own with her head in my hands and both of us dreaming of tree and sun filled pastures. 

One thing I can say for sure is that she had so much love and prayers and support from us humans and her herd during her last couple days. We were all rooting for her and I told her if she had the will, we had the way. 
In the end she did have her will. 

I will always remember her quiet and calming spirit. And how in the first days of us meeting she was so unsure of her new home and I took the time to spend with her and reassure her she was safe and surrounded by love. 
The more I spoke the more she began to look me in the eye and it was that moment I saw the depth and beauty to her eyes. They were somehow more connected than some. 

They say it’s not the amount of time we have together but how we spend that. I’m grateful Bailey had all of the love she had and the moments she was with us I know she enjoyed. 

Her pal, Bella will miss her for sure but I know they are still playing in their own way as there is no time and space for animals so they can reconnect any time they wish. 

Thank you to everyone for all of your support in all ways. It’s been an active 4 days with multiple vet visits for her. 

I do want to be sure to give a shout out to Safari Vet Clinic in League City. They fit me in last minute every time, gave her the best care and even automatically give animal rescues a discount!!
THEN! To top it all off, on our last visit, which was a holiday for them, so they were closed, they met me there and helped me confirm there was nothing left to do and when I asked to pay they said it was NO CHARGE!!! 

I was truly so touched at their generosity and kindness. They spent their time off to see Bailey (which was almost an hour of their time) and gave their expertise and supplies and charged me nothing. 

That is the gift Bailey wants us to focus on in her passing….the generosity of the human race. This is truly a new year, a New Earth and a New Beginning. 

So 2021 is off to a beautiful start to us. Through a touching time, came miracles. And that is how the world truly is. Beautiful. Kind. Empathetic and Giving and so, so, so full of LOVE. 

Here’s To Bailey. 

We love and miss you sweet angel and know you’re just over the rainbow bridge anytime we want to connect with you. 

Til we meet again beautiful one. A’ho and Amen.

Laura Evacuation and the Gift of a Grant for a Horse Trailer!

Just to share a little bit of our journey the past week (9/2020) when Laura was on a “unknown” path….and to give light to all of those who are helping to make miracles come true in life and who are proving there is more good and love and light than anything else in this world. I’ve had an evacuation plan for the herd since we moved to our space on the coast in Seabrook, TX. But it was a bit hodgepodge and pieced together. From having to drive to the College Station area to borrow my uncles trailer to making a couple trips to get horses to his land and goats and dogs to their evacuation location in La Porte. 

Well, as life would have it, a beautiful soul and I reconnected about a week before Laura became a “thing” and asked if I could rescue her goats. She came out to see my spread because I said to rescue any more goats we needed a dog shed to free up space in goat sheds. So Laure Baldwin came out with her partner Tom and they came up with a plan to help us make more space to rescue a couple more goats. I was already thinking that was very generous of them to offer and we left with a plan. Well then Laura comes into the gulf and before she even got past Cuba Laurie was texting me saying she had a local place in Pearland we could bring the horses to….way better than driving them 3 hours in the heat. Then she said she had a trailer we could borrow, but she knew we had 4 horses and hers could only haul 3. So she does another miraculous thing and asks a friend if he can come get my herd in his rig and haul us to her place so we can feel safe in case the storm heads our way. The person she connects me with comes and gets all 4 of the horses and helps us load them (not a easy task when for some of the horses it was only maybe their 2nd time in a trailer and Sam is barely halter broke) and drives us to Laurie’s place in Pearland. 

Then Laurie says we can borrow her trailer to get the goats and dogs to their evacuation home in La Porte (another Angel by the name of Suzanne Bass who has always offered to let our goats and dogs come evacuate to her place) which is such a gift because again it saved us a trip and back to borrow the trailer we usually have on hand if needed. So all of this falls into place within a couple hours and it all just flowed perfectly with so many synchronicities that I knew it was what we were meant to do. Regardless if Laura came through to us or not, the point that came across to me is when you need to be taken care of, life will always have the perfect fit and it may not always look like what we have a “plan” for. And we learned a lot from this evacuation. Mostly exactly what kind of trailer we need that will fit our herd best (which is not the one I was leaning towards). And …oh! Laurie just happens to tell me when we’re evacuating Monday that she knows of a grant we can apply for that could help us get our trailer!

So amongst the chaos and uncertainty in why things are unfolding as they are is the beauty in that it is always unfolding perfectly. And if we can flow with Life it will always flow with us. Words do not express the love and gratitude in my heart for everyone to selflessly put their needs aside to care for our herd. From volunteers who came to check on things when I couldn’t be there who were also doing their own evacuation prep to those who took our fur babies in and cared for them as if they were their own. I am BLOWN AWAY at everyone’s HUGE HEARTS in all of this.

Even though I had to let go and just trust, and be braver than I wanted to be (and the herd did too when loading in trailers and going somewhere new) and trust the care of the herd to others, it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life because I got to see just how truly phenomenal the human race is. Strangers coming to help us when they had no idea who we were and giving selflessly of their time and resources.

I was humbled that day and still am as that was a experience that will never leave me. A lot was gained and a lot was learned and I was also reminded that if it’s meant to be, it will be. It’s just that easy. We have the choice to surrender and go along or not. Thank you for sharing in our journey with us. We are grateful to be back and sharing our love with the world. We know you will find miracles too in each moment as they are always there. 

Here is an awesome picture of one of our Angels, Laurie Baldwin (who…on a funny note…used to be the owner of Red Dunn Ranch, which is where I went to volunteer when I first began on my journey of healing through horses back in 2006!! Crazy how life  circles us back around!) with Timber in the background. And one more of the herd enjoying Laurie’s place while on evacuation which was more like a Vacation for them with all of the beautiful grass. Thank you again Laurie (and to all of the others) for all that you selflessly and so thoughtfully did for us. We are paying all of this love forward and we’ve got A Lot of Love to give. 

AND an update since I wrote this post….we received a grant from Houston Jewish Community Foundation that will allow us to purchase a trailer for our herd! WOOOOHOOO!!!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

We are paying it forward.

Our Journey in Obtaining Land

From the first moments I can remember of my life, they were a part of it.

From the beginning, they were with me.  What am I referring to, you may ask?  Animals.

And Nature.

Many people have a dog growing up and I had many. And, I was also fortunate to have had rabbits, pigs, goats, horses and more!  My love and appreciation for animals and being outdoors in nature just kept growing and growing as I grew.  So, it doesn’t surprise me that I’ve circled back to them in my life’s journey… It is this love, this passion of mine that inspires me to move forward with my dreams and destiny and propels me to share my story and my cause.  I was born to do this and now is the time and you can be an instrumental part in helping with our mission at 16 Hands of Love. Our mission serves a very important and pivotal time in the worlds history.

I am Angela Hoover and the Founder of 16 Hands of Love.  In 2014 I founded 16 Hands of Love (which was officially incorporated into a 501(c)(3) in 2016) out of my desire to serve our world in a different way from what I had been doing professionally at the time: teaching first grade in the public school system.

I began experiencing anxiety and depression when I began spending more time indoors with my job and less time being outside.  A huge part of me was dying each day.  Finally, I surrendered and asked Life to show me how I could better serve the children and their families….So began my journey in founding 16 Hands of Love.  I began listening to my heart again and following those gentle nudges.  For me, it was spending more unstructured time outdoors and with animals. So I began rescuing animals and giving them a forever home.   I began offering my rescued animals love of life to children and their families and to individuals of all walks in life. It has grown and grown since 2014 and now we are at a pivotal time in our journey.  We are going to obtain our own land to build our forever home so that we can grow even more in our service to the community and in our endeavors.

We offer multiple services to our community… from private (donation based) healing sessions for individuals and families with our herd of rescued animals to community gatherings to supporting other local talents.  Many of our private sessions are with children healing from ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism and much more.  Most recently we have been contacted by Houston ISD as a consideration for their Wraparound program which would serve as an alternative learning program for their “at risk” children.  But, to be able to be considered, we need our forever home.  We also work with local Girl and Boy Scout troops and are currently in the process of being of service to a Girl Scout in her quest to earn her Silver Award.  We offer many volunteer opportunities for all who are interested.  Our bigger goals are to open an alternative Outdoor Organic Exploring & Learning School for children and families who need alternative learning options and to do this it is imperative that we obtain land so that we have full discretion in how to use and when to use it.  That is why we are asking for the community’s financial support.

For Phase I, we are asking for donations that will secure the purchase of 10 acres of land close to where we currently are located in Seabrook, TX.  We also need funding for building a barn, fencing, utilities and a parking lot. This has been estimated to cost $1.7 million.

Phase II is obtaining an additional 32 +/- acres (an estimated $8.3 million) attached to Phase I acreage which will give us more space to rescue more animals and to serve more individuals (marshlands make up part of the larger acreage so we can protect this important ecosystem as well).  We plan to preserve all land obtained through a land trust.  This preservation is greatly needed in our area to continue to provide a balance of untouched nature ecosystems and business / residential establishments.

Phase I and Phase II total an estimated $10 million to be donated.

You can donate through our website www.16handsoflove.org via the “Animal Rescue / Donation” tab.

Or donate via check made out to 16 Hands of Love and mailed to:

16 Hands of Love

Donations Address

5019 Louise Street

Seabrook, TX 77586

Or via PayPal using angela@16handsoflove.org

We ask that you please share our cause with others looking to make a difference at this pivotal time in our worlds evolvement and growth.

All donations are tax deductible.  Please visit our website for more information on our organization at www.16handsoflove.org. Or please make a trip to come out and visit us!

We invite you to come be a part of our journey and our mission to better the world.

16 Hands of Love’s Mission:

Through nature and rescued animals, 16 Hands of Love provides a heart-centered, connected & healing opportunity. This heart-centered approach offers those in attendance the ability to reconnect, find balance, and create peace within their lives, which in turn will ultimately allow us to be a part of bringing about more peace, love, compassion and harmony to our world.

From all of us to all of you, sending Gratitude and Love,

Angela & The Herd @ 16 Hands of Love

“The human spirit needs places where nature hasn’t been rearranged by man.” Author Unknown