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When Life Flipped Upside Down: Healing the Invisible Wounds

By Melinda Gerrish

In 1999, Mike and Melinda Gerrish began building a life rooted in hard work, horses, and shared dreams. What started as a simple love story would grow into something far greater—tested by tragedy, reshaped by resilience, and ultimately transformed into a place of healing for others. For over two decades, their journey has been defined not only by what they built—but by what they survived.

A Life Built on Horses and Hospitality

In 2005, the Gerrishes opened Cuttin’ Up Stables in Shirley, Indiana—a “horse motel” that quickly became a beloved stop for travelers crossing the country with their horses. Guests came from all over the world, many returning year after year, eventually becoming like family.

Mike, who grew up on a farm in Parke County and later became a science teacher, brought a lifetime of experience working with animals. Even in retirement, his passions remain unchanged: horses, fiddle playing, and a touch of magic.

Melinda, raised in Rush County, had always dreamed of owning horses. Today, she is an accomplished horsewoman who spends her days training, riding, and connecting deeply with her animals—four grulla Quarter Horses and one miniature grulla. Her creative spirit is woven throughout every corner of their property, from décor to design.

Together, they created not just a business, but a community. Then, in an instant, everything changed.

The Night That Changed Everything

On September 2, 2018, while returning from a trail ride in South Dakota with their close friend Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs, the Gerrishes were involved in a catastrophic accident on Interstate 29 in Iowa. A vehicle crossed the median and struck their truck head-on. Five lives were caught in that moment. Only two survived.

Mike suffered life-threatening injuries. Melinda endured serious trauma—some of which still lingers today. Their friend, Dr. Cobbs, a respected physician and educator, was among those who did not survive.

Long after the physical wounds began to heal, the invisible ones remained.

“The screeching tires, the shattering glass, the impact,” Melinda recalls. “Those sounds don’t leave you.”

Trauma has a way of rewriting everything—how you see the world, how you feel safety, how you understand your own story. For the Gerrishes, healing would require more than time. It would require intention.

Choosing to Heal

In 2019, just months after the accident, Mike and Melinda made a bold decision: they purchased 40 acres of land and a log home in Henry County. It wasn’t just a move. It wasn’t just a new home. It was a step toward reclaiming their lives—it was an act of faith.

“The copper you see across the ranch is a reminder,” Melinda says. “We may have been broken, but God didn’t leave us there. We are not victims—we are survivors walking in His purpose.”

They named it Copper Rise Ranch—a name rich with meaning. Copper, long associated with energy, intuition, and healing, became a symbol of both their physical recovery and spiritual renewal.

“The copper you see across the property is a reminder,” Melinda says. “We are not victims. We are survivors, living with purpose.” 

Over time, the land itself became part of their healing.

Wooded trails invited quiet reflection. Three crosses made from trees deep in the woods created sacred space for prayer and stillness. Horses, ever intuitive, became partners in emotional recovery. And slowly, something unexpected happened. As they healed, they began to realize—they had created something that could help others heal, too. And slowly, through prayer, time, and trust, something began to shift.

A Sanctuary for the Wounded

Today, Copper Rise Ranch & Retreat is more than a home. It is a destination. Since 2019, Mike and Melinda have hosted over 100 events with over 5,000 guests. Opened as an Airbnb in 2023, the ranch offers guests a chance to step away from the noise of everyday life and into something quieter, deeper, and more restorative. With rolling acreage, wildlife, horses, and western-inspired comfort, it invites visitors to breathe again. But beyond its beauty, the ranch holds a deeper mission.

The Gerrishes host a wide range of gatherings— Cowboys for Christ Talent Shows, church events, equestrian clinics, reunions, weddings —but some of their most meaningful work happens in the quiet, unseen spaces. They host retreats for women recovering from trauma, including survivors of human trafficking.

“These women have learned to disconnect from themselves just to survive,” Melinda explains. “They’ve worn masks for so long, they don’t always know who they are underneath.”

At Copper Rise Ranch, the goal is simple but profound: create a safe space to begin again. Women are given time, support, and space to process their experiences—without pressure, without distraction, and without judgment. Here, healing is not rushed. It is honored.

“Sometimes healing begins by simply being still long enough to hear His voice,” Melinda says.

The Power of Creativity and Connection

One of the most powerful tools in that healing process is something often overlooked: creativity.

“People forget what they love,” Melinda says. “They’ve spent so much time surviving, they lose touch with what brings them joy.”

Art, music, nature, and even simple acts of creation—these become pathways back to self. Scientific research supports what the Gerrishes witness daily: creative expression helps regulate the nervous system, reduces anxiety, and allows people to process emotions that words alone cannot reach.

Whether it’s decorating, painting, riding a horse, journaling, or simply sitting in stillness, these moments help shift the body out of survival mode and into a place of safety, and safety, after trauma, is everything.

“Creativity reminds the brain that it’s okay to explore again,” Melinda says. “That joy is still possible.”

Stories Cast in Bronze and Memory

At Copper Rise Ranch, healing doesn’t only happen in wide-open fields or quiet wooded trails—it lives in the details. It’s etched into metal, shaped into form, and carried in the stories behind carefully chosen pieces of art.

For Melinda, these aren’t decorations. They are reminders. Anchors. Conversations between past pain and present purpose.

Women Can Do Anything

One of the most striking pieces on the ranch is a bronze sculpture titled Women Can Do Anything. At first glance, it’s unexpected—even whimsical—a cowgirl riding atop a pig. But beneath its unusual imagery lies a story of defiance and survival.

The artist who created the piece once lived in an abusive marriage. Her husband told her she would never succeed, never make it on her own, never become the artist she dreamed of being. He tried to define her limits. But she refused to accept them.

The pig in the sculpture represents the weight of that oppression—the voice that tried to diminish her. The cowgirl, steady and unshaken, represents the strength it took to rise above it.

Over time, the artist not only left that life behind but became successful in her own right, proving every doubt wrong.

For Melinda, the piece resonates on a deeply personal level.

“It reminds me that strength doesn’t always look loud or dramatic,” she says. “Sometimes it looks like simply refusing to give up.”

Positioned intentionally on the ranch, the sculpture serves as a quiet but powerful message to every woman who sees it: you are stronger than what tried to break you.

Angels Watching Over You

Another cherished piece carries a different kind of weight—one shaped by connection, compassion, and unexpected redemption.

Angels Watching Over You came into Melinda’s life not through purchase, but through relationship.

At the time, the artwork belonged to a man who had lost nearly everything. Once a successful businessman, he was battling addiction and struggling just to get through each day. Their connection began simply—through conversations. Melinda listened, without judgment, without expectation.

“I didn’t have anything to offer him but my time,” she recalls. “But sometimes, that’s what people need most.”

Over months, their conversations became a lifeline for him. Then, more than a year later, he reached out again—but this time, everything had changed. He had rebuilt his life. Started a new business. Found stability.

And he hadn’t forgotten. He told Melinda the angel sculpture belonged to her—not as a transaction, but as a gesture of gratitude. A symbol of what it meant to be seen and heard during his darkest time.

“It reminded me that God places people in our lives for a reason,” she says. “Sometimes just showing up for someone can change everything.”

When Mike and Melinda drove hours to meet him in person, Melinda saw something she hadn’t expected: Peace.

“I recognized his voice immediately,” she says. “But this time, I saw gratitude in his eyes instead of pain.”

Today, the sculpture stands as a testament to the power of presence. It represents the unseen ways we can impact one another—and how healing often happens through simple human connection.

The Bison: Holding Onto the Good

Not all healing comes from confronting pain. Sometimes, it comes from choosing what to remember.

During their 2018 trip to South Dakota—the same trip that would end in tragedy—Mike, Melinda, and their friend shared one of their most memorable experiences: riding among bison. It was wild. Peaceful. Awe-inspiring.

After the accident, it would have been easy for that entire journey to become overshadowed by loss. But Melinda made a conscious decision—she would not let tragedy erase the beauty of what came before it.

When she later came across a bison mount from that same region, she knew it belonged at the ranch.

“It’s a reminder,” she says, “that even in the hardest stories, there were still moments of joy.”

The bison now stands not as a symbol of what was lost, but of what was lived. It represents a shift in perspective—an intentional act of remembering the good, even when grief is present.

“God gave us beautiful moments in that trip,” she says. “I didn’t want the enemy to take that away.”

It is a reminder that even in life’s hardest chapters, God still gives glimpses of beauty.

More Than Art—A Language of Healing

Each piece at Copper Rise Ranch tells a story, but together, they form something greater: a language of healing. They speak to resilience without needing words. They hold space for grief without demanding explanation. They remind visitors that pain and beauty can exist side by side. For those walking through trauma, these pieces often become mirrors—reflecting back strength, possibility, and hope. Because sometimes, healing doesn’t begin with answers. Sometimes, it begins with a story… cast in bronze, carried in memory, and finally, understood. Each piece is more than decoration. It is testimony.

From Pain to Purpose

Nearly eight years after the accident, Mike and Melinda are still healing. Trauma doesn’t simply disappear—it evolves, softens, and becomes part of the story. But it no longer defines them. Instead, it fuels their purpose.

“We didn’t realize at first what we were creating,” Melinda reflects. “But once we did, we knew we had to share it.”

Mike shares “This is just not a place for us. We have created a place that we enjoy sharing with others, whether they are family members or individuals with common interests. Whether we are sharing a social event or something with a particular purpose, we appreciate the opportunity to create something special for others to enjoy.”

Today, Copper Rise Ranch stands as a place where brokenness is not hidden—but met with compassion. Where people can sit with their pain, reconnect with themselves, and begin again.

Where healing happens not all at once—but one breath, one moment, one step at a time. And in that stillness, many discover something they thought they had lost: Hope.

Today, Copper Rise Ranch stands as a living testimony—that God restores, redeems, and renews. That even the deepest wounds can become part of a greater purpose. That healing doesn’t happen all at once—but one prayer, one breath, one moment at a time. And for those who arrive carrying burdens they can barely name, the Gerrishes offer something simple, yet profound: A place to rest. A place to heal. A place to encounter hope again. Because sometimes, when life flips upside down…it’s where God begins to rebuild.

Copperriseranch.com

Springport, Indiana 47386