The Huntress

It’s okay to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something  really, really brave. Mandy Hale 

It’s late winter and the promise of spring is just around the corner, the time when nature will start to bring back to life that which has been dormant. It’s the gift  spring offers us, reminding us that we can begin again. Part of a cycle that nurtures  the good that has already taken root. No matter how cold and long the winter season  has been, a new chapter is here. 

The huntress is setting her intention. She desires to spend less time and energy on  achieving goals for success and happiness and focus on living in her body and being  present in life. She plants her feet, contemplating the larger story of purpose and  intention. She considers her field and buys it. She is looking for her voice, a voice  somehow lost in her past… 

We purchased the property last winter during a blizzard, making it difficult to get a  true feel for the landscape. It was the horse barn that drew me in. I felt something  special in that barn and believed I had found a place that offered healing. My heart  said if I accepted the challenge of a new chapter with arms wide open, life would  allow me to experience the growth I was longing for. 

It was not until spring when we were able to walk the property and see just how  beautiful the land was, reminding me of the deep longing to create. To work towards  creating places and spaces where guests could come and share moments with friends  

and family. Using the place that is now known as Copper Bowl Ranch as the setting  for stories, events and experiences.  

Two years into a pandemic I felt unsettled and disconnected from what had been a  very normal life. The thought plagued me that something in my life needed to be  reset, knowing that whatever the future held it would look nothing like the past. I also  struggled with health issues which had been frustrating me. It forced me to slow  down and take the time to look inward and deal with things in my life that I had either  misplaced, ignored or denied.  

Today, I have learned that just like the seasons, things will always change. The one  constant in life is that what’s happening today, will not be happening tomorrow.  There are cycles in nature which are not in my control. The only constant, is how I 

choose to respond to those changes. It’s time to acknowledge, that life is in continual  motion and today I choose to move forward. To let go and allow this rhythm and  dance to lead the way.  

It is a time to create a new story. One where the canvas is clear and if I can muster up  the courage to begin, appreciate the strengths and differences that others bring. And  as we join together, I believe this new chance will provide an opportunity for healthy  change and growth.  

Power comes to its full strength in weakness. Elisabeth Elliot 

The huntress establishes her plan. She knows that she was made for this, created with  purpose and meant to make a difference. She heads out and begins her search for places  that will provide the sustenance she knows she needs to provide for those she loves. It’s  dark, yet she feels an inner confidence knowing what her target is for the day. The forest is  quiet as she makes her way through the brush on a trail that has been laid out for her. She  seeks nourishment, sustenance and hope today. In the quietness, she begins to sense there  is a word ready to spring forth and bring new life. She is ready…. 

“The old Lakota was wise. 

He knew that man’s heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew that  lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for  humans too. So he kept his children close to natures softening influence.” –Luther Standing Bear