Selah Carefarm

06/13/2026

Ask the world to reveal its quietude —
not the silence of machines when they are still, but the true quiet by which birdsongs, trees, bellworts, snails, clouds, storms become what they are, and are nothing else.

—Wendell Berry

SelahCarefarm.org

06/09/2026

Oh my goodness... Thank you KONG!

Did you know?
Every year, thousands of people arrive at Selah Carefarm carrying the unbearable reality of child loss, su***de loss, homicide, overdose, and other traumatic deaths. Because of donor support, they are met not with diagnosis or pathology, but with compassion, community, counseling, rescued animals, and a place where grief is welcomed.

Last year alone, nearly $300,000 in free care was provided to grieving families who otherwise could not afford support. Yet requests for scholarships continue to rise, reflecting a growing crisis in bereavement care and a profound need for places like Selah Carefarm of which 94% of clients gave the very highest-possible satisfaction: 92% report healthier grieving: 100% say the rescued animals were essential 60+ rescued animals receiving lifelong sanctuary.

These figures tell a clear story: your support isn't funding programs. It is creating access to care for people experiencing some of life's most devastating losses.

KONG, this amazing dog toy company, has been one of our only corporate sponsors for 15 years, and has just given us a match for our 10 year fundraiser, challenging us to raise $30K in honor of the MISS Foundation's 30th year of operation.

Yes, that's right! Our original fundraiser was for $10,000 (for the Selah Carfarm's 10 year anniversary) which we've now reached! And KONG has generously offered to get us to $30,000 (for our 30th anniversary of the MISS Foundation)! All of this generosity comes on the whopping 50th anniversary of KONG's incredible pet product company!

So, here are the numbers: We are at $10,300 from donors, another $10,500 match commitment from KONG to get $30,000 now. So we have $9200 more to raise!

$9200 is OUR NEW GOAL!

Can you PLEASE help us get there?

If we've helped you or your family in any way, can you donate $10, $100, $1000, $30, $300, or $3000 (more is always welcomed!) to get us to our goal of $30,000?

Donate here, please: https://www.missfoundation.org/selah-carefarm/donate/

We want to again acknowledge those who've given so far toward this fundraiser:

Thank you so much Jill in honor of your beloved Eamon whose gentle spirit and sweet love are missed every moment.

Thank you so much Marsha in honor of Will Sompayrac.

Thank you Cathy in honor of your beloved Steven Bennett Scheick.

Thank you Jane in memory of Jason Stokes.

In honor of precious Avery Mercedes Welborn, thank you Jennifer.

Thank you Kare in loving memory of your daughter Jamie Kate with gratitude to Venna and the MISS Foundation.

Thank you Jackie in loving memory of Daniel Lincoln.

Thank you Barbara in eternal honor for your precious KellBell.

Thank you Patricia for supporting our beloved Athena!

Thank you Steve and Maggie Larsen!

Thank you Alane Breland!

Thank you Phil Cartledge in honor of your sweet Vinnie.

And thank you to an anonymous donor in San Diego.

Please help us reach our new goal of $30,000 in honor of both 10 and 30 years of service to those who most need support during unfathomable catastrophic loss. We need $9200 to reach this goal.

If you'd like to read about our work in the 2025 annual report, you can do so here.

https://www.missfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Selah-Carefarm-MISS-Foundation-Annual-Report-3.pdf

06/06/2026

Why is the human-animal connection (especially in traumatic grief) so important?

There is fascinating evidence that horses appear to be capable of detecting Earth's magnetic field (and other nonhumans possess this too). This unique capacity (called magnetoreception) in nonhumans may be used for situational orientation. One study of 3000 horses conducted at the University of Duisburg-Essen (across multiple countries) found that when horses felt safe and were relaxed and grazing, they tended to align their bodies roughly north-south. This magnetoreceptive effect weakened when close magnetic fields were disturbed. There are some who hypothesize that this increased awareness helps nonhumans stay safe.

While horses, and other nonhumans, also produce measurable electromagnetic fields, the benefits of interactions with humans are more plausibly explained by attachment, co-regulation, attentional focus, movement, and the horse's (and other animals') sensitivity to human emotions and actions. However, being more attuned to the earth might help them attune more to other living beings, suggesting that the world experienced by animals is far richer than the one humans perceive.

They are, in their own unique way, ordinarily mystical beings, exquisitely adapted to a sensory world that is broader than our own. These incredible beings remind us that connection does not always begin with words. Sometimes it begins with a deeper place of awareness, of being seen, feeling held in any given moment, while accompanied by another being who asks nothing of us except that we show up exactly as we are. In the aftermath of loss, that kind of witness can be transformative.

Perhaps that is why so many bereaved people here at Selah Carefarm describe feeling more understood by animals than by other humans. These animals do not rush grief. They do not diagnose grief. They do not attempt to fix grief. They simply stand with us. Their friendship offers something increasingly rare in human beings. It is a relationship free from judgment, expectation, and coercion or pressure.

Without any words at all, they see us because they are deeply aware and intensely sensitive. Maybe its a kind of 'emotional magnetoreception' that makes them so very important to us.

Thank you to everyone who so appreciates and loves what we all do here at Selah Carefarm; both the humans and the nonhumans.

-. Joanne Cacciatore

*pictured: connection, compassion, grief, and beauty in the field*

06/04/2026

Two daughters who recently lost their beloved mamas.

06/02/2026

It's been 10 (TEN!) YEARS of Selah Carefarm!!! Can you believe it?

Ten years ago, a dream took root in the red earth of Arizona.

A dream that grief deserved more than a diagnosis.

More than treatment plans.

More than judgment and ill-informed advice.

A dream that grieving people deserved a place where they could simply be held in love, compassion, and safety.

Since then, thousands have come through the gates of Selah Carefarm carrying heartbreak, trauma, exhaustion, loneliness, and losses that are heavier than many want to imagine.

Parents whose children died.

Families shattered by tragedy.

People struggling to find their footing after life changed forever.

And here they found something rare.

A quiet place.

Animals who ask nothing.

Open skies.

Gentle community.

Moments of rest.

Moments of connection.

Moments of belonging.

Even, moments of hope.

For ten years, Selah Carefarm has been sustained by people who believe that compassion matters and that no one should have to carry profound grief alone.

Today, as we celebrate a decade of service, we invite you to help us build the next ten years.

Your gift supports:

• Scholarships for grieving families

• Care and feeding of the sanctuary animals

• Programs and retreats

• Community support groups

• The daily work of creating refuge for those who need it most

Whether your gift is $10, $100, $1,000, or more, you become part of a community committed to bearing witness to suffering and nurturing hope.

Really... even $10 helps. I'd love to raise $10,000 to honor our 10 years of helping. If you are able to give... thank you.

The next decade-long chapter of Selah Carefarm begins now.

Will you help us write it?

Please join us in honoring 10 years of Selah Carefarm with a gift to sustain this sanctuary and its mission for generations to come.

With so very much gratitude to everyone who has helped us,
Dr. Joanne Cacciatore

DONATE HERE: https://www.missfoundation.org/selah-carefarm/donate/

(reposting at the link wasn't working)

06/01/2026

Today with tears in our eyes and deep bowing gratitude, we say goodbye to our beloved Dolly Mama. Mother of Porcelina, friend to all.

We will miss her gentle, steady presence and love.

“Ode to Dolly Mama”

How many will come
to greet her arrival
Following the familiar heart imprint
she wears
Of their mothers, fathers, siblings
Her wool ever-damp
With the tears of those she held
When very earth sufficiently could not.

She’d rest her head on laps & arms
Emptied too soon of their beloved’
And in a language of ancient agreement
Before words were ever spoken;
“I’m here with you.
Your pain is safe with me”

Sacred utterances of the heart of despair
Crying out silently, loudly
She listened without flinching.
Tears of many woven into her fiber

What an unsuspecting place
To adorn & lay such precious gems!
A brown black white soft-rough sheep
With legs that don’t cooperate
And a darling crumpled ear!

-by Shiloe

05/29/2026

“Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.” -Dr. Maya Angelou

05/28/2026

FREE monthly bereaved parent support group right here at Selah Carefarm. Please share.

The MISS Foundation will begin offering a monthly in-person support group at the Selah Carefarm for parents who have lost children. The group will meet on the first Saturday of each month, beginning Saturday morning, September 5th.

The gatherings will be facilitated by Marianne Langridge, PhD and Angela Boswell, MSW, LMSW, CBC, SBHP. Please register in advance as space is limited (address provided following verification).

These are free events designed to serve grieving parents in the greater Sedona/Verde Valley/Norther Arizona area, but all are welcome space permitting.

Facilitated by Dr. Marianne Langridge, a volunteer at Selah Carefarm since 2020, after the passing of her teenage daughter Hilary. Hilary was a freshman at ASU and loved the Sedona area, which inspired Marianne, her husband Scott and their son to move to Sedona soon after her passing. They discovered Dr. Jo’s work when a friend sent them her book, Bearing the Unbearable. After decades as a management consultant Marianne stepped away from corporate work and owned a local yoga studio from 2021-2026, and has led yoga at the farm for visitors to support their healing. She now weaves yoga into her teaching and coaching work. The serenity of the environment, the compassion of the people and the quiet support from the animals have all been an important part of Marianne’s personal healing, and she is honored to be able to hold space for others here.

And co-facilitated by Angie C. Boswell, M.S.W., a certified Compassionate Bereavement Care Provider, and social worker with extensive experience in grief therapy, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, discharge planning, and advocacy. With a strong background in hospital and behavioral health settings, she specializes in supporting individuals and families through grief, bereavement, major life transitions, anxiety, depression, and chronic illness management. Angie has worked collaboratively with multidisciplinary medical teams at leading healthcare organizations, including inpatient care at the Mayo Clinic Hospital and community behavioral health programs throughout Arizona.
Known for her empathetic approach, clinical leadership, and strong therapeutic relationship-building skills, Angie provides individualized counseling services for adults, caregivers, and veterans through both in-person and telehealth platforms. She is recognized as a Star Behavioral Health Provider and has contributed to community advocacy efforts, including involvement in the passage of Arizona Bill SB1036. Angie is dedicated to support people navigating healing, resilience, and personal growth. Angie enjoys spending time with her 2 legged and 4 legged family members, reading, gardening, and training for races.

You must register to join this support group. Our first registration link is below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bereaved-parents-support-group-at-selah-carefarm-tickets-1990575725580?aff=oddtdtcreator

For more information, please email [email protected]

Once a month support group facilitated by Dr. Marianne Langridge and Angie Boswell, MSW. Address sent privately following verification.

05/26/2026

Honoring and remembering those that gave all in service, human and non-human, today and always.

05/24/2026

Yoga Retreat for Grievers at the Selah Carefarm October 14-17, 2026

Join us for a gentle and supportive yoga-focused retreat for those living with traumatic grief and loss at the beautiful Selah Carefarm. Our yoga retreat offers space to rest, reconnect with yourself, and tend to grief in community through yoga, meditation and other contemplative practices, expressive arts and more.

The yoga retreat is designed for grievers of all experience levels. No prior yoga experience is necessary. Practices will be accessible, invitational, and trauma-informed, emphasizing nervous system support, compassionate presence, and honoring grief just as it is.

Throughout our time together, participants will engage in gentle movement, breathwork, guided meditation, deep relaxation, journaling, creative expression, and reflection. Daily time on the Carefarm with our animals offers opportunities for grounding, connection, and moments of peace within the sanctuary's natural rhythms.

Retreat Includes

Accessible grief-informed yoga practices
Meditation and yoga nidra (guided deep relaxation)
Sound baths
Breath and nervous system regulation practices
Guided reflection and journaling
Time with the Carefarm animals
Community connection and shared support
Onsite lodging
Vegan breakfast and lunches
Retreat Details

Dates: October 14–17, 2026
Location: Selah Carefarm
Cost: $1400
Lodging: Included onsite

More information and registration details can be found through the MISS Foundation Yoga Retreat Page https://www.missfoundation.org/yoga-retreat/?utm_source=chatgpt.com