#19 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father
With Angel it was
the training challenges. Day after day
there would be highs then lows, frustrations and breakthroughs, progress and
regression. Then the day when the Rock
cried out! (See the blog “Rock Cries Out”) followed by more progress. Then the request by my friend, Claudia, to
consider Angel for her therapy program.
It was a perfect fit because she did not need to be ridden and her
extroverted personality was perfect for the reflective type of therapy Claudia provides—EAGALA.
Treasure was
next. I had some wonderful folks in
Nebraska who tried three different times to come see her. Each time we were frustrated by events that
made it impossible or foolish to follow through—floods in NEB, a blizzard in
CO, and swelling in Treasure’s leg. In
the end I ran out of time for them to see her in CO and I ended up taking her
back to NM with the idea they would come down there to see and get her. Within a day or two of being in NM, the
swelling returned to normal and I got a call from Seth, who I knew from
previous Parelli Foundation interactions.
He was looking for a new, younger horse to continue his love of trail
riding. He lived just over the mountain
in NM! When he came to see her, he
brought his wife Judy and she fell in love with JoyFull. It looked like they were going to take both
horses, but could only afford one and having another horse on their property
would be difficult because their facility only accommodates three. We were all still considering it, but it was
out of kindness on their part and desperation on mine. Then I had Judy play with JoyFull and
realized it was not a good match and could not in good conscience follow
through. Seth seemed relieved because of
the stretch it was going to be for their facility. After a trial period and vet exam, Seth and Treasure were joyfully joined together.
JoyFull—the one I thought was going to be the easiest to sell/place—was totally distraught after
Treasure left. She whinnied for hours
running around the pasture in a panic. I
tried to console her with my presence but she could only be with me for a few
moments before she would run off again.
After a few days the whinnying subsided and she wanted to be with me
more. She even started nickering at me,
something she never did before Treasure left.
Seth had mentioned
to me to contact Catherine at Atwood Ranch, where JoyFull had been bred and
born…that she might have people looking for that great Atwood breeding and
foundation and especially since they were not doing much breeding anymore. I had considered this several weeks earlier
but didn’t because I didn’t want to be a bother. With Seth's encouragement, I did contact
Catherine and within two days she send out an email with JoyFull’s story. With an hour I had two responses and with a
day, I had 4 and then I got an inquiry from a local family that had a 500
section cattle ranch!
The most exciting
was a “young” lady in CA who stated that she had prayed for the Lord to bring
her the perfect horse and then Catherine’s email came. Trish came out within 4 days, fell in love at
first sight and even more so on the next day when she had an opportunity to
play with and ride JoyFull. She made a
deposit and returned to CA while I made arrangements for the vet exam the next
week.
I was devastated
when JoyFull failed the flexion tests in both front feet and the vet said she
would only be good for light riding…nothing performance oriented. I was asking a performance horse price and
many people would not have consider buying a horse with that information. Trish took the x-rays to a radiologist friend
and talked with her trainer. Together
they decided that JoyFull was a good match and the kind of riding Trish wanted
to do was appropriate for JoyFull...and JoyFull could be a good teacher...and
regardless of her physical state, Trish was willing and able to give her a
forever home. I revised the price and
Trish insisted on more stating, “Our God is good!” I cried!
And then it was as
if the Heavenly Father put his seal on it all by sending this magnificent sign
that afternoon:
The result of all
this is that by the time you read this in the blog, Dave and I will have
delivered JoyFull to her new forever home and then be living on the road,
praying, studying, writing, and enjoying the wilderness and wildness of God’s
creation around the USA as we travel around and visit family while we wait for
Dave’s knee replacement surgery and rehab. Then we will finally get off to
Kenya in the fall/winter to build a permaculture growing system for an
orphanage. We will be there 6-9
months.
What other wild
rides does God have in store?
The hardest thing
about these roller coaster rides has been trusting God in the down turns. It
also seemed that as long as I was trying to “figure it out” or “make things
happen,” things did not go so well. It
was only when I ran out of my own strength and ideas and trusted him and rested
in his promise to “work out all things for good,” it was then that I saw his
provision and salvation.
“And we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 KJV
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your
positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and
Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them
tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ ””
2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes
from him.”
Psalm 62:1 NIV
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand…”
Ephesians 6:13-14 NKJV
Rest in his love and
care for you and watch…as he frees your mustang heart!
P.S. If you are blessed by this blog, don’t forget to leave me a comment or send me an email. Feel free to share it on your social media. If you receive this in your email, you may need to visit the webpage (link is in the footer) to find the share buttons. Thanks!
P.S. If you are blessed by this blog, don’t forget to leave me a comment or send me an email. Feel free to share it on your social media. If you receive this in your email, you may need to visit the webpage (link is in the footer) to find the share buttons. Thanks!
This "young lady" couldn't be more pleased with JoyFull and to have meet and bonded with Teri and Dave. God is good!!
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