Everyone, meet Don.
I had another miracle moment occur during my visit to Fort Concho. Let me tell you the story.
There is a vendor who sets up on the edge of the parade ground at Fort Concho in his big canvas tent. He carries all kinds of trinkets for historical reenactors, including furs. This year he had the best selection of furs since I’ve been going to Fort Concho’s Christmases. Wolf skins greeted me this time with their coarse, dense fur and they felt incredible to touch. Coyote pelts from all over the US were in the tent. I could tell this by looking at the various coloration of the pelts indicating they were from different regions due to their coloring.
I walked out of his tent. Paused for a moment in the waning drizzle. My instincts kicked into overdrive. I turned back around and walked into the tent and asked the vendor for a business card. “Well, I only have 4. Would you like to take a picture or have one? “
I replied I want an actual card.
Before handing me the card he added a phone number. As soon as the card passed to my hand my jaw dropped.
Immediately, I said, “No way, I thought you were dead.” Tears came to my eyes.
His jaw dropped and immediately he said, “I need to know this story.”
Here’s the backstory.
In 2006 and 2007, I was working on trying to save a historical ranch here in West Texas. The time came for a major presentation to two boards. As part of my presentation, I wanted to give these board members the opportunity to see and feel what a bobcat pelt felt like, along with a coyote pelt. The purpose was to give them the experience of what children would feel by touching, sensing, and connecting to these wild animals on this historic restored ranch.
How I got those pelts is where this guy came in. In my old contacts from my first MS degree. I came across a phone number and reached out to Furs Plus. I explained to him why I wanted the pelts.
This guy.
This guy trusted me over a phone call convo and shipped me the two pelts on the trust in his heart.
The pelts arrived safely. Board presentation done. I returned the pelts to him with a generous, thank you note.
Once I reminded him of this story he remembered. The thank you card went into his journal with a note about me. His wife admonished him for trusting me. He told her he had a good feeling about me and took that leap of faith.
Don keeps a journal to share with kids when they visit his store or when he does programs.
I shared with him about what I was considering doing educational-wise on the side and he quietly said I have better pelts at the house. We talked more.
Both of us were amazed at this serendipitous encounter, with Don saying he was writing this moment in his journal to share the story later with others.
The reason why I thought he was dead was because when I talked to him on the phone, his voice sounded way older.
I kept his old business card for a number of years. There was a silent gut feeling I was not listening to yet. One friend encouraged me to do an educational trailer to continue what I was doing in my former job. But I needed a spark. I needed a divine moment. A gentle push from something bigger than me.
It was like God stepped in on December 7th and gave me the nudge to proceed with a dream.
And so I shall with a pelt here and there, along with replicas of skulls. You see kids need to be connected to nature. They need to understand that coyotes are vital to a healthy ecosystem, along with bobcats, porcupines, skunks, badgers, and beavers. Even some adults miss these connections. Touching these skins and skulls will help them make a connection along with the stories I will share with facts thrown into the mix to spark the connection to care.
Everyone, meet Don.
I had another miracle moment occur during my visit to Fort Concho. Let me tell you the story.
There is a vendor who sets up on the edge of the parade ground at Fort Concho in his big canvas tent. He carries all kinds of trinkets for historical reenactors, including furs. This year he had the best selection of furs since I’ve been going to Fort Concho’s Christmases. Wolf skins greeted me this time with their coarse, dense fur and they felt incredible to touch. Coyote pelts from all over the US were in the tent. I could tell this by looking at the various coloration of the pelts indicating they were from different regions due to their coloring.
I walked out of his tent. Paused for a moment in the waning drizzle. My instincts kicked into overdrive. I turned back around and walked into the tent and asked the vendor for a business card. “Well, I only have 4. Would you like to take a picture or have one? “
I replied I want an actual card.
Before handing me the card he added a phone number. As soon as the card passed to my hand my jaw dropped.
Immediately, I said, “No way, I thought you were dead.” Tears came to my eyes.
His jaw dropped and immediately he said, “I need to know this story.”
Here’s the backstory.
In 2006 and 2007, I was working on trying to save a historical ranch here in West Texas. The time came for a major presentation to two boards. As part of my presentation, I wanted to give these board members the opportunity to see and feel what a bobcat pelt felt like, along with a coyote pelt. The purpose was to give them the experience of what children would feel by touching, sensing, and connecting to these wild animals on this historic restored ranch.
How I got those pelts is where this guy came in. In my old contacts from my first MS degree. I came across a phone number and reached out to Furs Plus. I explained to him why I wanted the pelts.
This guy.
This guy trusted me over a phone call convo and shipped me the two pelts on the trust in his heart.
The pelts arrived safely. Board presentation done. I returned the pelts to him with a generous, thank you note.
Once I reminded him of this story he remembered. The thank you card went into his journal with a note about me. His wife admonished him for trusting me. He told her he had a good feeling about me and took that leap of faith.
Don keeps a journal to share with kids when they visit his store or when he does programs.
I shared with him about what I was considering doing educational-wise on the side and he quietly said I have better pelts at the house. We talked more.
Both of us were amazed at this serendipitous encounter, with Don saying he was writing this moment in his journal to share the story later with others.
The reason why I thought he was dead was because when I talked to him on the phone, his voice sounded way older.
I kept his old business card for a number of years. There was a silent gut feeling I was not listening to yet. One friend encouraged me to do an educational trailer to continue what I was doing in my former job. But I needed a spark. I needed a divine moment. A gentle push from something bigger than me.
It was like God stepped in on December 7th and gave me the nudge to proceed with a dream.
And so I shall with a pelt here and there, along with replicas of skulls. You see kids need to be connected to nature. They need to understand that coyotes are vital to a healthy ecosystem, along with bobcats, porcupines, skunks, badgers, and beavers. Even some adults miss these connections. Touching these skins and skulls will help them make a connection along with the stories I will share with facts thrown into the mix to spark the connection to care.
Forgotten Winds 