For Cloud.
Wriiten 8/30/09. Ginger
I join you in prayer.
No Name…
I have no name that man can speak.
It is carried on the wind and grows of the earth.
I have watched those
called “man.”
I have stood with him and given what I can.
I have carried him on my back.
I
have pulled his loads and tilled his fields.
I have died with him as he fights his wars.
I have tried to show
him what it is to be apart, yet live together.
He has not learned.
We began together. Made of spirit and
earth. No matter the words man places on that time… it remains a truth.
Yet I was not tasked with the lesson
of power and responsibility.
That lesson belongs to man.
I cannot choose the path that man takes.
I never could.
I could only stand with him as he wanders through his successes and failures.
I stand and
watch man as he continues to deny his greater truths.
As man removes himself further from his connections to himself.
I cannot choose the path man takes…
But I still stand with him.
I stand with him as he turns his
back on me, again.
I stand with him as he prepares to remove the symbols of our connection to the earth.
For my
spirit in the wild is the symbol of that place, for us both.
But I still stand with him.
I am the bridge
he can choose to cross back to himself.
But I cannot choose the path man takes.
That lesson belongs to him.
I have no name that man can speak…
he calls me: “Horse.”
I received this as an e-mail forward.
And if you get through this one... made me cry... there's something funny
underneath.
To have a horse in your life is a gift.
(edited for space)
If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to
work at it,
you’ll learn lessons in courage, commitment,
and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You’ll
discover just how hard you’re willing to work toward a goal,
how little you know, and how much you
have to learn.
And, while some people think the horse “does all the
work”, you’ll
be challenged physically as well as mentally.
Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that
sitting
on his back is the closest you’ll get to heaven.
You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you
really
want to? The results may come more quickly, but will
your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust?
The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When
it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment
brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding
between horse and rider. These are the days
when you know with
absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.
If it is in
your blood to love horses, you share your life
with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our
tears
into their manes and whisper our hopes into their
ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered
place where life’s true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep,
someone who loves us, and the
luxury of regular meals. Some
of us need these reminders.
When you step back, it’s
not just about horses - it’s about love, life,
and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the
birth of a
foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there
is also loss: a broken
limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a
life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated
life
cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that
caring for these animals
brings us. When our partners pass, it is
more than a moment of sorrow.
We mark our loss
with words of gratitude for the ways
our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy,
awe, and
wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their
brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.
To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To
see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry
lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise
worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the
hearts of warriors
and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.
Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime
horse; of
journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses
rise to the challenges we set before
them, asking little in
return.
Those who know them understand how fully a horse can
hold
a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden
loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder
the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true
companion.
In the
end, we’re not certain if God entrusts us
to our horses–or our horses to us. Does it matter?
We’re
grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place.
Author Unknown
Cowboy
sayings:
If you get thrown from a horse,
you have to get up and get back on, unless you landed on a cactus; then you have to roll around and scream in pain. ~unknown
Don’t squat with your spurs
on. ~unknown
Nature gave us all something to fall
back on, and sooner or later we all land flat on it. ~unknown
"Whoever said a horse was dumb, was dumb"
~Will Rogers
One question: If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen are defrocked,
shouldn't it follow that cowboys would be deranged?
This poem has been published on many rescue sites and sent through many an e-mail
forward... but it is such a great "voice" for those that find us. Dog, cat, horse... this rings so true.
The Meaning of Rescue
Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely
tucked in my warm new bed.
I'd like to open my baggage, lest I forget.
There's so much to carry, so much to regret.
Yes, there it is, right on the top,
Let's unpack loneliness, heartache and loss.
And there by my feeder hides fear and shame.
As I look on these things I tried hard to leave,
I still have to unpack my baggage called pain.
I loved them, the others, the one's who left me,
But I wasn't good enough, for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage, or help me unpack?
Will you look at my things and take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, to never repack?
I pray that you do, I'm so tired you
see,
but I do come with baggage, will you still want me?
by Evelyn Colbath
