When relationships are what’s important we have a chance to explore timelessness.
We see beyond shift and change into the love that remains true. It’s a little like watching clouds in constant flux. All the while realizing the permanence of the sacred sky.
Recently I visited a friend and her horse whom I had boarded at my barn for many years. One of the occupational hazards of being a boarding barn owner was that I became very attached to the animals I was caring for. They become part of my family, part of my daily rituals, part of my life.
This particular mare and I resolved some deep issues that she had brought from her previous life experiences. This meant that we not only had a daily interaction relationship, but a deeply intimate one where we shared elements of transformation in both of us.
When I work with horses, especially horses that have experienced trauma, they become a part of me. They teach me how to look inside something other than myself. And in doing so they hold the mirror for how well I can see.
This mare is now 34 years old. She’s lived a full and beautiful life, presented to her by her faithful human. It was a great honor to visit her again. In some ways I could see how her life experiences have shaped her into the horse she is today. The life she lives now is very different than the life she lived with me. And peacefully appropriate for her retirement.
I hope in someway I still have a place in her heart as she still has one in mine. And it’s such an honor to know and love her person, who has given her the care and the respect that she so richly deserves.
Not all stories of horses with trauma end in hopelessness. Some have the the fairy tale, “Happy ever after”.
Dear Savannah, may you always know that the depth and the truth that you brought to this world was appreciated, received, and celebrated. Bless you ever more.
~M~
If these words resonate with you, please consider reading my book Perfect Practice. You can also read an excerpt from the book HERE.
