My Calling

My Calling

I have found my calling here in this wonderful world.   God has put me through many life lessons 

and many jobs, but only to be a better servant today.  My past has been full of ups and downs, dead 

ends and wrong turns.  Today I can tell you all those roads have put me where I am today, and for that I am thankful.  Many of you may wake up every day dreading what you have to tackle, whether that be job, family, or just daily routine.  I can honestly say that there are days I don’t want to go to the office and do the work that keeps this wonderful place (Bennie’s Barn) going.  I would rather stay at the barn and watch the smiling faces of the clients that bless the entrance to the barn with their presence every day.  With that being said, I would not change my life one bit. God gave me this amazing opportunity to touch the lives of so many.  I no longer get up and dread my day (except the office part) because no matter what is going on in the world it only takes that one moment, that one smile, and that one high five or hug, to let me know God led me to the place I would love to spend eternity.  Every day I wake and look out the back porch of the property and see the doors God has opened for us, I am humbled beyond belief.   The support of this community has been nothing short of amazing.  This community has accepted Bennie’s Barn and first hand seen the benefits of what we are doing every day.  Some days I wake up and I feel guilty because for the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I wake up to work, but wake up to change the lives of those in this wonderful community who have accepted us so kindly.  

I remember in high school when some of my friends knew what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives; or even college when people were picking their majors, I had no idea what I wanted to do.  All I knew was that I wanted to help change the world and change the lives of those who lived in it.   As I worked day to day, job to job I never felt that I was doing the best of my God given ability.  Now I am.  It took many years to get where I am today. Not monetarily, because I have never taken a paycheck for what we do, but spiritually I feel like I am where I was meant to be.  Now I am not saying I don’t have bad days, though I am saying my bad days are the days where I still feel like the most blessed person in the room.  How many people can truly say that? 

If you are a client or a parent of a client at Bennie’s Barn you get what I am talking about.  Every day you walk into that barn your life is changed for the better.  To watch a person put in the work and take back control of their life, and you get to watch that first hand…..  There is no man, woman, or human who is strong enough to hold that emotion inside.   I have cried tears of joy and happiness.  At first, Keith Siragusa and I would stop a lesson, just walk to separate corners, or hide our faces from our clients and each other.   “Because real men don’t cry.”   Well out here at Bennie’s Barn I challenge any person to volunteer a day and see if you don’t shed a tear of joy.

To each and every client we have I say, “Thank YOU”….. From the bottom of my heart, and the staff, and volunteers’ hearts- that you touch daily.  You have changed our lives in ways we could never repay.