#34 Lenten Reflections
On a small farm in Dallas, Georgia a woman named Tracy rescues and then trains llamas to deliver instant happiness to people. She visited our school with two of her eleven beautiful llamas named Pai (short for Paisano) and Quinn. Students fell in love with their silky coats, 400-pound fluffy bodies, and mesmerizing eyes instantly.
When speaking to the children, she explained how to treat the llamas. Frankly, the lesson could have served as a lesson on how to treat everyone, friend or foe. She said calmly, “Just don’t be mean to the llamas. Be nice and they will be nice to you. No, they will not spit on you.”
Classic Golden Rule – treat a llama like you would like to be treated.
Therapy llamas are no exception to the transformative power of animal therapy. A simple interaction with a llama can stimulate communication, evoke emotions, and reconnect people, especially seniors, with their surroundings. Llamas visit senior assisted living facilities, and children with special needs and even stroll down airport concourses in Portland during the stressful holiday months to provide a positive surprise for passengers. Blood pressure lowers and a wave of relief comes to the rushed, stressed travelers. A genius idea!
The presence of these regal and quirky animals is truly a gift. Pai and Quinn brought so much joy to nearly 500 kids and adults in under two hours. Their big, beautiful doll eyes with two-inch eyelashes batting at us were all we needed to make for a happy day.
What I learned:
Be nice to llamas and people and the likelihood of them spitting on you goes down by 100%.
Thanks for joining me,
❤️Lucretia
runonmom.com 