2016 has been an amazing year with many accomplishments. We have welcomed in many new animals who needed us, and we have said farewell to some of our elders. We continue to be successful at both the California and Tennessee locations, and we have hosted thousands of guests from all over the world. We have witnessed many positive changes in the world that bring us much hope, and sadly we see so much more to overcome.

In 2016 we took in Peggy who was going to be euthanized because she had a birth defect and hopped on one leg. At The Gentle Barn we love everyone’s differences and brought her here to be safe and sound, loved and adored as part of our family. Peggy was very quickly adopted by two of our turkeys who treated her as their baby, allowing her to snuggle under their wings and follow them around. Peggy helped us help hundreds of at risk, inner city, and special needs children to embrace their differences, to be proud of who they are, and to find friends and families who will love them for exactly who they are.

In 2016 we were able to save an entire family in Tennessee. We not only rescued Maybelle from slaughter once she was retired from being a dairy cow, but soon after realizing that she had left behind a baby boy, we were able to reunite them. Then we found out that she was pregnant and she birthed her precious baby girl, Eclipse. The three of them will live out the rest of their lives at The Gentle Barn together knowing family, love, respect, and safety: something that most farmed animals don’t ever have. They not only spent the year opening hearts around the world, but with foster children as well, giving them hope and inspiration that when they don’t give up; there is a family and home waiting for them.

This year Lillie’s life was saved from slaughter. We cannot imagine her light extinguished; she is full of mischief, always exploring and investigating, spends most of her days playing and running around with joy, and she makes everyone she meets smile. Lillie has helped so many people around the world know joy and laughter, and understand how wonderful and puppy-like piggies are.

Sadly, we do not get to love our babies forever and eventually we must say goodbye to them. This year we said goodbye to our beloved pig, Biscuit, who at 10 years old could not walk anymore. We said farewell to our fuzzy teddy bear cows, Dolly and Grace, who through the years at The Gentle Barn overcame tremendous fear and sadness, and once they made their transformations were ready to sail on to new lands for new adventures. Both Dolly and Grace were 18 years old. We helped our treasured horse, Princess out of her body when she could no longer walk and asked us to help her transition. Their courage and affections will stay in our hearts forever and they will always be part of our family. We know they made just as much of an impression on our guests and the children we host, as well as on us.

There have been times this year when I have cried with joy at our victories with animals and children, and there have been times when I have wanted to give up and walk away because the cruelty and suffering was unbearable. There have been times of great hope and of great despair. There have been tremendous jubilation and great pain. And I have learned to celebrate the wins, the hope, and the joy for as long as I can, and when in anguish, to feel it, allow it for a short while, then climb out of it with all my strength to persevere. The mission of The Gentle Barn is to bring healing and love to as many children and animals as we can, to open the hearts and minds of as many people as we can, and to bring peace to this planet. No change was ever achieved easily. No great task was ever realized overnight. And each movement throughout history felt like it would take forever. Little by little, though, we create forward movement. Bit by bit we make a difference. I cannot allow myself to be swallowed up by all the darkens, but instead find the light where I can, and cling to it with every fiber of my being until we have more of it, everywhere. I hold on to our victories, release the sadness, and keep moving forward, step-by-step.

As we all take the steps from 2016 towards 2017 I feel hopeful and inspired that the coming year will be full of forward movement where we evolve as individuals as well as a species to become a nation of greatness: great kindness, great peace, great love, and great light. That we embrace others, human and non, with our hearts and actions so that they might live with more freedom and joy. That we be more mindful of where we go, what we buy, and what we eat so that our footprint will be as soft as possible. That we make sure our thoughts, words, and actions are more peaceful and bring about more light. Ignorance is bliss, but it is also the very thing that has caused animals to suffer, rain forests to be destroyed, our bodies to be ill, and the environment to be ruined. We can change things, we can turn things around, but it will take each and every one of us to wake up and do things differently. Lets awaken in 2017, together!

I hope that 2017 bring more peace and compassion to the planet and all its inhabitants, and more abundance, more love, and more joy in your lives as well. Thank you so much for supporting us and enabling us to help more animals and give hope to more children. Thank you for being a part of our gentle family.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

By Ellie Laks
Founder, The Gentle Barn
Author, My Gentle Barn