Blood streamed down the hunter’s face, his companion holding him upright between the earth and the sky. Life on the ranch is a fickle teacher — serene in one breath, sudden and severe in the next. This week at Sovereignty Ranch, two gatherings share the same ground — a band of Canadian deer hunters here for opening season and a Wilderness First Responder training. Two paradoxical worlds unfolding side by side, destined to meet in a way only Providence could arrange.
Adi had just stepped outside The Barn to grab something from our truck when she came upon two hunters walking across the gravel. For a moment, she was puzzled — Why are they walking arm-in-arm? Then the question answered itself as she saw the crimson trail down Eric’s face. In an instant, confusion turned to clarity. She spun and raced back through the door, calling out, “We need help outside! Someone’s hurt!”
The call to Mollie was immediate, and action followed just as swiftly. Over the ranch radio, she summoned her crew to the scene. As I stepped out onto the patio beside The Barn, I spotted Eric seated with his back to me, both hands pressed to the top of his head, a blood-soaked napkin covering the wound. His friend, Kit, stood before him, steady but anxious, asking how he felt — voice low, eyes searching for assurance.
Lucas was the first to arrive, barreling up on the Polaris before leaping off and moving straight into action. Moments later, Sam — the instructor leading the Wilderness First Responder course — appeared with his paramedic kit in hand, calm and composed as he approached the scene. Day One of training had barely begun, and within fifteen minutes theory had yielded to reality.
In moments of crisis, time slows. I’ve trained my mind to stay steady when it does. Knowing my place in this unfolding, I stepped into the role of assistant servant. Adi asked me to grab a trash bag for the bloody napkins and used supplies, while she ran for a blanket and a cup of hot tea to calm Eric’s nerves. Sam directed the scene with quiet authority, his questions measured and precise.
“Are you dizzy?”
“Do you feel sleepy?”
Each query came deliberately — efficient, compassionate, and without a trace of unnecessary emotion.
Once Sam had gauged Eric’s physical and mental state, he turned his attention to understanding what had happened.
“Tell me what happened,” Sam asked gently.
Eric explained that he’d been working the fence line, repairing a section that had fallen into disrepair. As he manned the post pounder, it slipped and struck his head, opening a deep gash that quickly became a pool of blood.
“I put my hand to my head right away and felt a hole,” he said, voice calm but eyes uncertain. “I just want to make sure I didn’t crush my skull.” His composure was remarkable, though beneath it I could feel his concern. The adrenaline of the moment had taken hold — a fleeting mercy that would soon yield to the steady ache of pain.
Lucas quickly called out, “Go back to my RV and grab the skin adhesive.”
Within moments, the adhesive arrived. Lucas handed it to Sam, who began applying it with practiced steadiness. Wearing gloves, Lucas held the edges of the wound together while Sam sealed the skin.
In less than thirty minutes, the bleeding had stopped, the wound closed, and Sam was offering his post-care instructions.
“Pay attention to how you’re feeling throughout the day,” he said.
“If you feel nauseous or unusually sleepy, let me know. We’ll check the wound again this evening. By Wednesday or Thursday, you should be in the clear. I’ll be here all week, so if you need anything, find me.”
At the start of the week, I’d wondered privately how often Wilderness Care would truly be needed on the ranch. I would learn the answer sooner than expected. The incident unfolded so quickly that the students gathered for the training assumed it was a simulation — a live drill to open their course. They soon discovered it was no exercise at all.
I often marvel at the synchronicities of this elegant Universe, yet I still catch myself judging what I do not understand. When I first learned that a hunting group and a Wilderness Rescue training would share the ranch, my mind questioned the wisdom of such an arrangement. Was it sensible to have those carrying rifles on the same land as those learning to tend the wounded?
But when I watched Sam care for Eric, the answer revealed itself. My own short-sightedness had obscured the Divine choreography already in motion. What I had seen as contradiction was, in truth, completion — two halves of one lesson unfolding in perfect order. All I needed to do was surrender to the harmony beneath what my mind called conflict.
The lesson deepened that evening as I watched both groups converge at The Barn to share the meal that closed each day. Hunters and healers mingled effortlessly, trading stories of their adventures and discoveries. I sat in quiet awe as two communities became one — neither better nor lesser, but reflections of the same spirit expressed through different callings.
The scene was deeply instructional to me. Every journey has its purpose. When we surrender to a Will greater than our own, we move into coherence with Mother Nature, with the Universe, and — most importantly — with the Creator.
Later, when the stars spread their ancient light over the ranch, I understood: every paradox is a portal. What begins as opposition becomes invitation. And perhaps faith is nothing more than this — the courage to let mystery remain mysterious, trusting that the unseen hand shaping our days is always writing toward harmony.
Sovereignty Ranch is the quiet host of these stories — a place where heaven and earth meet in conversation. Those who feel the call and dare to answer it find themselves woven into a community learning to listen, to serve, and to love beyond the borders of likeness. The hills beckon, the fields breathe, and the stars wink their ancient knowing — reminding us that the power to heal the world of our imagined divisions already lives within us.
We breathe the same air, drink the same water, and share the same longing to love and be loved. Here, at this divine intersection of healing, Sovereignty Ranch simply holds the door open.
The invitation is eternal; you have only to say yes.
