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June 3, 2010

Silence Speaking Loudly

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Horse Talk,Humorous Ponderings,On the Serious Side — Tags: , , , , , , , — Dawn @ 8:26 am

The cheerful chatter of birds riding in on the fresh air through my open window woke me, the sun still hiding behind the horizon of the eastern sky. Fresh steaming cup of coffee in hand, its aroma mingling nicely with the scent of pine and spring air, I settled onto the swing on my deck and watched the sun rise. The horses, snorting in contentment, grazed upon the green pasture, tails swishing gently in the calm air. Harley’s raised head and perked ears alerted me to a deer walking along the river bottom – its tawny hide flashing gold in the morning sun.

Horses, when you listen, can tell you so many things by their body language – a shift of the hip, softening of the eye, swish of the tail. They tell you if they are happy, sad, confused or mad. Always on the alert for danger, their early warning system can tell you if there is a bear or an evil green ogre on the trail ahead. Looking through their eyes, you will find a fawn bedded in tall grass or a majestic elk topping the bluff on a far hillside.

Eddie’s body language is one of relaxation and love. Each time after being tacked up, Eddie turns and buries his large head into my stomach and requests his pre-ride hug. I wrap my arms around him and lay my cheek upon his forehead and breathe softly into his nostrils. Eddie sighs in contentment as if to say, “Thank you for taking the time for a ride with me today” and then waits for me to mount. I now use Eddie to give rides to children – Grace is his favorite little girl and tries his hardest to understand her requests. One day, Grace’s grandma came to pick her up after her lesson, bringing her brother and cousins along. The small boys were excited and eager to pet the large horse that stood quietly and lowered his head to their short stature. I showed the boys how Eddie loves his head hugs and they each took their turn – wrapping tiny arms around his massive head, Eddie sighing in contentment. The smallest boy however, was afraid and even in his grandmother’s arms, did not want to touch the large animal. Eddie seemed to understand as he quietly moved closer on his own accord and rested his nose upon Grandma Jen’s arm and quietly encouraged Ian to overcome his fear. The horse, ever patient but unrelenting finally coaxed the boy with his silent body language to pat his massive head. Eddie, once again content, sighed and moved back to the other children for more love.

Harley is the king of body language. Every emotion this spunky little guy feels is loudly proclaimed upon every square inch of his body. One day while lunging him in preparation for another training session, Harley was clearly not a happy camper. Stiff posture, a head toss and a mini buck or two told me something was up. Not one to get ruffled over temper tantrums, I continued to work Harley calmly through his spell. Suddenly Harley stopped, stretched out to pee and proceeded to empty an extremely full bladder. He peed…and peed….and peed! The relief on his face was hilarious as he finished his job and walked off into a whole new world. His body language now was relaxed, happy and alert and eager to do as I beckoned. He did give me a disgusted look as I laughed at my silly boy until tears flowed from my eyes! We proceeded to have the best ride ever – the relaxed young horse beneath me responding to my body language as we learned to read each other’s cues.

We can learn so much by watching our horses as they graze in the pasture, interact with their buddies and nature, and how they respond when you are working with them. By taking the time to listen to what your horse is trying to tell you in his not always so silent body language, your partnership with these intuitive animals will grow. Remembering that horses also read your body language and adjusting your mode of silent communication with your equine will take your partnership to a new level. Horses speak if we listen with our eyes as well as our ears.

May 8, 2010

Happy Birthday Old Man!

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Humorous Ponderings — Tags: , , , , , — Dawn @ 7:33 am

Age matters – or does it? How old you are calendar-wise seldom equates with how old you feel. Some days I feel like I’m a young spring chick and other days….well let’s just say I don’t move as quickly as I used to.

I started thinking seriously about age the other day while taking my husband’s grandfather to the doctor. At the ripe young age of 95 – and soon to be 96, Grandpa is mentally sharper than I am and mighty spry. In fact, some days, I feel old in comparison to this man who really hasn’t changed in looks since I met him 30 years ago. Looking at Grandpa, I wonder if my husband will possess the same longevity. Recently knighted with the honor of reaching that half century mark, Steve sports only one or two gray hairs (that he claims) and isn’t quite ready for the walker….yet!

Hearing Grandpa speak about the days when he plowed fields with true four-legged horsepower makes me wonder if our grandchildren (which we don’t have yet) will someday sit and listen in awe as we talk of the days when there was no cell phones, IPods or personal computers. Steve (being much older than me) will enjoy telling the youngsters about the days of party line telephones and eight-track tapes. I’m positive that jaws will drop at tales of the good old days of Steve taking his rifle along to school (kept in an unlocked car in the school parking lot) so he and his friends could go gopher hunting when school was done for the day – without SWAT teams surrounding the area. Imagine the disbelief when they hear we survived not wearing seatbelts until we were in our late 20’s!

Yes, back in the good old days, bicycles were ridden without helmets, hand sanitizer was good old soap and water and McDonalds was more often referred to as a farmer in a childhood song rather than a fast food chain. Back “then” Capri pants were called Pedal Pushers, thongs were sandals and tattoos were only for sailors. We even survived life without cable – relishing black and white TV signals delivered by rabbit ear antenna which were frequently readjusted to “tune in” a total of FOUR different “snowy” TV stations.

It seems everyone, as children, is always so anxious to grow up and become adults but once we get there, we want to return to the youthful days when life was simple. Milestones such as losing baby teeth are applauded. I even find myself looking into Harley’s mouth with a gleeful giggle as his baby teeth are starting to wiggle. Then all too sudden, we get “long in tooth” and have to go into the vet for a floating and are left wondering why we hurt so bad the day after running, riding or putting in a hard day’s work. Just where did those summer days of youth go?

So do we feel our age? In regards to his half century of life, Steve says, “I feel like a 30-year old but my wife won’t let me have one!” Well, today – just for him, I feel like a 30-year old and if he ditches that walker – he might even be able to catch me! Happy Birthday Old Man!

March 27, 2010

Cowgirls and the Boots They Wear

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Horse Talk,Humorous Ponderings — Tags: , , , , , , , — Dawn @ 2:20 pm

One day, while idling away a long evening on Twitter and simultaneously shopping for boots I made a simple comment “I do not need another pair of boots.” Instantly, all cowgirls worldwide perked their ears and thronged to my internet doorway. Soon, mere strangers became friends, all of a bootaholic nature. Sharing our favorite brands along where to get the best buy on boots and generally joking and enabling all fellow bootaholics along a leather-soled path. Cowgirl friend Laurie and I rounded up the herd and formed a page on Facebook where we could post pictures and stories. Where there was once one lonely cowgirl on a dark winter evening – there are now over 530 friends and the numbers grow daily.

Upon this page, we ooh and ah over photos of each other’s “bootage,” share music and poetry and stories of where our boots have taken us and the friends and horses that share our lives. We’re self professed enablers in all our glory of the next boot purchase. It has been said, “One never has too many boots.” (A statement which is quickly followed by “Look at the new boots I just bought!”) Whether it’s fulfilling needs of the soul or needs of the SOLE, we should have bought stock in boot companies as sales have made an astounding jump in the past few weeks!

Some cowgals shyly post only one pair of boots while others ‘come out of the closet’ and proudly lines up all the boots she owns to fill the picture frame. Artistically minded cowgirls seek new ways of photographing leather-clad feet – some adorned with blingy spurs and some inside stirrups, cute puppies sleeping inside boots, on hay bales, under horse noses and alongside their equine partner’s hooves. Red boots under a white wedding dress received rave reviews and vintage boots were awed over.

This goes to prove that cowgirls are our allies. They are born of a special group – a sisterhood united by their common love of the horse and all of the paraphernalia that comes along with it. Cowgirls are proud, supportive, independent and self sufficient. Cowgirls are strong of heart, soul, body and mind. Cowgirls will back each other up in time of need and hold each other when they fall. They will laugh with you and at you when you do stupid things (in the nicest possible way of course!). They will cry with you and make you laugh when all you really want to do is cry. And should you want to buy a new horse or a new pair of boots, they will throng to your door and cheer you along the way.

Hold up your boots and toast them with pride – whether they are classy dancing boots or mucky barn boots because no matter what brand or condition – they serve us well on our journey of life! Join our little group on Facebook called “Cowgirls and the Boots They Wear” and follow our Boot Adventure. And hopefully at some time in the near future, we’ll all meet under a glorious sunset to sing and dance and share our tales of the boots we wear and the journeys on which they have taken us.

February 13, 2010

Only In Mexico

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Humorous Ponderings,Vacation — Tags: , , , , , , , — Dawn @ 1:39 pm

I was surrounded by a constant babble of voices speaking in a multitude of languages at the same time – a veritable smorgasbord of nations all thrown together to simmer into a spicy stew under the scorching sunshine on the beaches of Cancun. I opened my eyes when I heard a jet passing overhead only to see a frigate bird soaring overhead as if the massive sound of the engines belonged to him. A heated multinational pool volleyball game was in progress, sunburnt players splashed as they volleyed and took frequent tequila breaks.

In Mexico, a variety of scantily clad bodies shed their winter fur in search of the perfect tan…from young, muscular and fit to elderly and obese…and yes, I fit in between there somewhere! Only in Mexico, can an older gentleman past his prime wear a thong and expose his cheeks to the hot sun – my cheeks reddened by the sight. Grey haired women meshed with the young blonde and buxom…. bikinis on the majority regardless of size and shape.

Not all our time was spent on a white sandy beach or poolside. At Chichen Itza, we trod upon the same ground which the ancient Mayan people built their stone pyramids, lived in palaces and held their ceremonies in temples upon massive altars. We were amazed at the enormity and perfection of the structures all built by hand out of native rock. Intricate carvings upon the faces of the buildings told the story of the people who lived so many years before. A cavernous sinkhole filled with mossy green water was purported to be the site of child slave sacrifices in the quest of rain gave us chills in spite of the oppressive heat and humidity. Vendors, all proclaiming their wares were “almost free” or “one dollar only” lined ancient streets where once only royalty were allowed.


The turquoise blue crystal clear waters of Isla Mujeres welcomed us for a day of snorkeling. I quickly lost my fear of breathing underwater as iridescent fish of all sizes, shapes and colors swam in and out of coral reefs below us as we eagerly paddled along on salty warm waters. The tiny island’s sandy beaches and narrow quietly crowded streets beckoned us to stay and explore just a little while longer.


Alas, the endless buffets of languages and plates of food I didn’t have to cook, poolside icy drinks of varied colors and flavors and glorious warm sunshine had to end. Gleaming white sand beaches disappeared as the jet’s wheels lifted and were all too soon replaced by endless but equally brilliant fields of snow. Lingering traces of sand in our luggage along with a splendid but rapidly fading tan still beg us to return for just a little longer stay – on the sunny beaches of Mexico.

December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas – I wish you enough

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,On the Serious Side — Tags: , , , , — Dawn @ 5:24 pm

In this time of shopping for the perfect present, giving and receiving, one sometimes forgets the true meaning of Christmas. My uncle Kermit is in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery right now – a surgery we did not think he would survive. But he is doing so good and already out of ICU – we are all celebrating his recovery and realizing that it is the simple little things and the large and small miracles that make Christmas so special. With this – I wish you all a Merry Christmas and want to share with you a writing by Bob Perks ( http://www.bobperks.com/wish.htm ) which has been making the rounds on email for a few years. I can’t improve on his words – he speaks what I am feeling right now. Too often – we don’t express our feelings until it is too late. To all my friends – I wish you enough! Merry Christmas and a Very Happiest of New Years!

I wish you enough!”©
By Bob Perks

I never really thought that I’d spend as much time in airports as I do. I don’t know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of travel. But I’m not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports.

I love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes down to “hello” and “goodbye.”I must have mentioned this a few times while writing my stories for you.

I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am experiencing that pounding sensation in my heart. If I am watching such a scene in a movie I am affected so much that I need to sit up and take a few deep breaths. So when faced with a challenge in my life I have been known to go to our local airport and watch people say goodbye. I figure nothing that is happening to me at the time could be as bad as having to say goodbye.

Watching people cling to each other, crying, and holding each other in that last embrace makes me appreciate what I have even more. Seeing them finally pull apart, extending their arms until the tips of their fingers are the last to let go, is an image that stays forefront in my mind throughout the day.

On one of my recent business trips, when I arrived at the counter to check in, the woman said, “How are you today?” I replied, “I am missing my wife already and I haven’t even said goodbye.”

She then looked at my ticket and began to ask, “How long will you…Oh, my God. You will only be gone three days!” We all laughed. My problem was I still had to say goodbye.

But I learn from goodbye moments, too.

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, “I love you. I wish you enough.” She in turn said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.”

They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?”

“Yes, I have,” I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me.

So I knew what this man experiencing.

“Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?” I asked.

“I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral,” he said.

“When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, “I wish you enough.” May I ask what that means?”

He began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more.”When we said ‘I wish you enough,’ we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them,” he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he
were reciting it from memory.

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much
bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Goodbye.”

He then began to sob and walked away.

My friends, I wish you enough!

A Little Thing

A Little Thing


A milk weed pod – yes, its just a weed. But within its hands it cups a special and fragile gift, meant to last just a short time….Just as God gave the gift of his son to us on this special Christmas Eve so many years ago.

December 1, 2009

Weathering the Storms

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Farm Life,Horse Talk,Humorous Ponderings,On the Serious Side — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Dawn @ 2:27 pm

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! It’s amazing how fast the past year has gone. It was a year filled with many ups and downs for family and friends, but crisis and hardships were offset by extremely spectacular moments meant to be remembered and cherished for years to come.

I’ve made many good friends this year through the “new fangled” way of meeting and greeting people – Facebook and Twitter. One such friend met through Facebook but never in person is Mark Madsen, who just posted a very reflective statement, “Did you ever watch horses in a bad snow storm?? They turn their butt to the wind and snow and let it blow. When the storm is over they just shake off the snow and go back to eating grass. Hmm, sometimes you need to just shake it off and go on with living.” This is excellent advice for all of us from someone who has been through his share of storms. Mark has worked hard at shaking off that snow through the one avenue which works so well – by using the healing power of horses.

Storms can come in so many varieties – from a gentle cleansing rainstorm to an all-out raging blizzard, tornado or hurricane – but they never last forever. Farmers and ranchers have to deal daily with weather delays and worries – especially this past year with record cold, wet and now a delayed harvest. As of Dec. 1 as I’m writing this column, our corn is still standing in the field while we wait for the moisture levels to lower. This in itself creates a storm of itself of worry and stress – unharvested crop does not pay the bills. Do we let the storm creep under our hides or do we just turn our backs to it and wait for it to pass so we can shake off the worry and prepare for a new year?

Harley and I had a storm the other day…which sure surprised the heck out of me! But his training has been hit and miss between the weather and farm work so I probably had it coming. We quickly went from an eager walk to an “oh crap – what’s this all about” as we bounced our way towards my new rail fence. Not liking the thought of a fence post landing, I opted for the “Let Go and Let God” strategy and met with Mother Earth. This was followed with a Come to Jesus Meeting as we settled our differences first from the ground and once again upon his back. The day ended on a better note although we both were still a little hot under the collar. Time management issues with Thanksgiving and work once again prevailed to the point of Harley being ignored basically for a week until yesterday when I once again spent some time with my little gelding. By then, the storm had passed and we both shook the snow off of our backs as we enjoyed each other’s company.

Life throws a snowball at you on occasion – do you throw it back with a vengeance or do you turn tail to the wind and wait until the storm passes so you can shake that snow off your back and go on living? Fighting the storms normally makes matters worse but sometimes waiting the storm out can be hard for those of us lacking patience. One of my favorite quotes by an unknown author gives you another option, “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass – It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Find the Joy, Live the Joy, Be the Joy! And as always, look Into the Sunset for a brand new day.

MyBoys

August 14, 2009

I am a Mean Mom!

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Farm Life,Horse Talk,Humorous Ponderings — Tags: , , , , , — Dawn @ 1:32 pm

I am a Mean Mom! Just ask my son Kyle how mean I was when he was growing up. I’d torment him by making him clean his room, eat his supper, brush his teeth and the list goes on. But one day, after he spent time chaperoning some young kids at a function, he came up to me with the astounding statement “Thank you for being a Mean Mom!” He finally realized the importance of discipline after spending time with kids who did not grow up with Mean Moms!

One of my fondest papers Kyle brought home from early grade school days was one he wrote about home life. And I quote in my sweet little boy pencil scrawled lingo, “Do not complain you are bored because Mom will give you more work to do!” Ah yes, I am a truly Mean Mom!!

My mean streak goes beyond my poor abused son… cats, dogs and yes even horses fall prey to my rules and regulations of how to behave throughout life. Many years ago, I had a wonderful Springer Spaniel named Megan. Megan had one vice – a love for garbage and that love happened as soon as I walked out the front door. She loved to tip the garbage pail over and then proceed to chew everything into pieces and scatter it across the kitchen floor…especially wonderful when there were coffee grounds and egg shells to mix in with the mess. Mean Mom finally broke that messy habit by placing poor little Megan into the garbage pail and telling her to stay! Whether it was the humiliation of it all or the fact the garbage suddenly wasn’t inviting after spending a whole 5 minutes sitting in the mess my Mean Mom tactics finally won and the garbage and my clean kitchen was safe from the garbage monster!

My horses have experienced Mean Mom also. Old Al quickly discovered he is not allowed to chase the other horses from my scratches or he would be chased away by the Mean Mom and not receive any attention at all. He also learned that if he did not behave while being ridden, he would have to work the dreaded circle pattern for “Hours!” Zippy learned that Mean Mom was much worse than the feared WATER. He found it amazing how Mean Mom never got mad, we just worked and worked until darn it…how the heck did she get me to stand in this puddle?

Being such a perfect boy, Harley hasn’t seen Mean Mom emerge too often but when the sunscreen for his pink nose comes out, he quickly discovered Mean Moms don’t get mad….but they do win out in the end so he might as well give in right away and let it happen. Harley recently decided that he saw absolutely no point in stepping into the trailer. He wasn’t scared, he wasn’t even particularly upset at my command to step up…he just stood at the gate and thought he would wait me out. Well Mean Mom emerged and made Harley work away from the trailer at backing, lunging and various other jobs until he decided inside the trailer was the one spot he didn’t have to work.

Yes, I am a Mean Mom but I love my “kids” and my kids love me! When I see the confidence and skills built by the hard work and respect Mean Mom demands, maybe being mean isn’t so bad – especially when it’s followed by lots of love and praise.

July 10, 2009

Folding Underwear

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Farm Life,Horse Talk,Humorous Ponderings — Tags: , , , , , — Dawn @ 8:29 am

Life is too short to waste it folding underwear. I’ve watched people carefully fold their delicates into a perfect origami but I’m a simple person. The only thing that matters to me is if your underwear must be donned in the dark and hours later you find that in the dark, you had put them on inside out….an embarrassing situation. Yes, my Mom was one of those who preached to never wear holey undies “just in case” you were in an accident. Well, I would think being in an accident would cause an accident in itself and no one is going to come remotely close enough to those undies to notice or care whether they are holey, inside out or folded previously to being worn.

A good friend and I once made a pact that if one of us should pass on to the Pearly Gates, the other would immediately go over to the deceased’s home and clean under the fridge, stove, washer, dryer and beds. Oh the embarrassment of someone finding dirt in your house…but does it really matter? You’re dead. They are going to talk about you no matter what and I doubt if the topic of conversation would ever be, “Oh my God, did you look under her fridge? She must have 10 years of dust bunnies residing under there…just what was she thinking? Didn’t she know we’d check under there after she was gone?!!”

I’ve wondered about the hand towel/dishtowel debate since I was looked at with mortification for wiping my hands with a dishtowel after having washed a sink full of dishes at a family doing before starting to dry the very dishes I had just washed…with my hands! Oh, the scandal of it all! Does it really matter if you dry your hands on a dish towel as long as you’ve washed your hands with soap and water first? After all, those hands are the very hands that will be touching the dish as you dry it on the dishtowel and also touching the very dishtowel you have just been forbidden to wipe your hands on! The germ police may be knocking at my door shortly but they will have to talk long and hard before they can thoroughly convince me on this topic!

Ah yes, the redundancies of life seem to be hitting me full fledged as of late. They hit me hard one day when I was intent on capturing some shots of a barn swallow feeding her babies. I had taken my camera inside to check photo quality when my husband walked in past my tripod sitting on the front deck. “What’s the tripod for,” he asked. Abstaining (honest!) from rolling eyes and slapping my forehead, I replied, “The camera.” I knew the true intention of his question was what were you taking pictures of? Is language, as we once knew it, becoming a lost art?

Yes, life is too short to waste folding underwear but it is definitely made richer and more humorous when you can laugh at the little odd and sometimes annoying headshakers that pass by. It’s been said that God has a sense of humor – he made man didn’t he? Wouldn’t it make sense that He installed those redundant tendencies on purpose just to amuse us all on occasion?

May 23, 2009

Giving Thanks

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Horse Talk,On the Serious Side — Tags: , , , , , , — Dawn @ 10:52 pm

A double rainbow exploded with vibrant prismatic colors upon dark indigo rain clouds. In the glow of the setting sun, trees and grass lush with spring growth enhanced the pallet of colors with their soft pale and deepening greens. A crab apple tree’s pure white blossoms with its sweet spicy scent mingled with the aroma of fresh rainfall enriching my senses so long deprived by a cold winter.

It seems I have never seen such a splendid springtime in my life. Is it so beautiful and lush because of the excessive moisture of the previous fall and spring? Or is this spring so much more precious because of the harsh weather conditions and the turmoil faced in the past 9 months? One thing I do know for certain, this spring I have thanked God for each and every sunny day and every gale force wind that helped dry the soil. Thanks are given for the freshly planted fields of corn soon to sprout in the fertile earth, dark with recent tillage and smelling of rich intoxicating earth scent.

I also thank God daily for my family and friends – near and far, you are all angels bearing faith, healing, hope and laughter. I am eternally grateful to all of you and want to thank you for bearing with me during my time of loss. Your words of sympathy from so many corners of the world strengthened me and helped ease my troubled soul.

After the loss of Al, I mourned deeply…so deep I was not sure if it would end. I let my tears flow freely but I also pushed myself to ride and work with my other horses, knowing full well their strength would help me heal. Now I find myself feeling hopeful anticipation, excitement and a profound thankfulness for all that is about me. Al is still performing his miracles from above.

I feel a deeper sense of appreciation for each day, each flower, and each blade of grass that turns green with the warming sun. The noisy chatter of the birds and contrasting silence of the horses as I stand with them scratching their itches fills my ears. Horses have a silent language which speaks loudly of their desires and feelings. The pleasure of just the right spot being scratched shown by an outstretched head and quivering lip to the evil eye of Harley as he begrudgingly lets me rub suntan lotion onto his pink sunburned nose. I laugh at his glare and he forgives me when I apologize with a hug and a scratch.

Today, I found the strength to read my words written shortly after Al’s death and once again the tears flowed freely. Words my son said a few years ago came to mind. We had just had to put JD down, out first horse we had owned for 23 years. That day, I questioned why I have animals as I become so attached and the loss is so hard on me. Kyle remarked kindly, “Mom, that is what makes you the person you are.” Yes the loss is hard, but all the years of love, care and kindness makes me whole…it makes me ME.

I am a firm believer that people such as all of you (and my animals) enter your life for a reason…. you are God-sent angels who supported me and carried me during my time of need. I am back on the right path and being guided by the hand of God towards an unknown destination – one which I go to freely and eagerly. So many wonderful things await me and time is precious. There is much to do.
dawn-small-me

May 2, 2009

A Biker’s View

Filed under: All My Posts,Family and Friends,Horse Talk,On the Serious Side — Tags: , , , , , — Dawn @ 11:53 am

Today was a day of many firsts. I took my first ride without Al, a hard step to take but I knew I needed to carry on in order to begin the healing process. Without Al to ride, I have moved Eddie up into the role of senior horse so for the first time, Eddie was asked to pony a young colt. Harley was that colt and he took this first step towards maturity like he has taken all of his steps, in stride and in a manner befitting a prince about to take over Al’s throne. ESP must have been working as just before I and my husband left to ride, my brother called to see how I was doing. He also mentioned he had emailed me something that I should read. The below paragraph, an adaptation of Footprints in the Sand is written by my brother Doug, a true gruff teddy bear biker type with a heart and soul as pure and beautiful as a rainbow. This was simply too excellent and precious not to share. Love you forever Doug, you are a true God-sent Angel on Earth.

When Dawn arrived at the gates of heaven, God was discussing her life with her and all the good she had done. They started following the tracks of her life and she occasionally noticed only one set of tracks. She said to God why in the darkest times of my life as when I had cancer, my Dad had cancer, and other troublesome times there are only one set of tracks, did you abandon me? “No my child I did not abandon you” God said, “during those most difficult times in your early to midlife I sent an angel by the name of Al to carry you through your darkest moments. But much like your faithful companions Megan and Jack, dogs and horses don’t need to live as long because they already love everyone on earth. It takes mankind longer to get to the same point in their lives before their work on earth is done. I have now sent you a new angel named Harley to carry on where Al left off. In a short time Al taught him all that he would need to know to carry you in your dark times. Angels among us come in all shapes and sizes but too many people just don’t take the time to recognize them. You are never alone. Some days you may think you are but be not afraid when a tough gruff biker pulls up on a Harley Davidson as he just may be the next angel I sent down the road to help you.”

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