Today my day started out wonderfully -I had completed a horse session with an enthusiastic sixth grade girl on Saturday - we had ridden Little John and Chief and played with the llamas and let them out on the short but fresh upcoming green grass.
Craig and I stole 1 1/2 hours together to drive around the countryside after tucking grandma into bed, kids tucked in, and another day just to be thankful for life.
I made breakfast, got two of my family members off to church (I stayed back with grandma who wasn't feeling well in the morning), and did morning chores.
This afternoon my dear friend Lisa and her daughter Lexi came over to play with Remmie and get ready for the upcoming Midwest Horse Fair. I told her I would be back after picking up some furniture and items at my mom's condo in La Crosse. Sun shining, Rachel, grandma and I headed into town. Then the dreaded phone call - not to me, but to Craig who, by this time, was visiting his grandpa Snyder in assisted living. Prince, the wonderful, beautiful llama that I had the privilege of loving and caring for the last several years, was found dead by Lisa when she brought Remmie into the indoor arena to practice.
Craig had to call me to tell me before I got home. I was stunned, shell-shocked. Just the night before (24 hours ago!) I was watching Prince and Sid eat peacefully in the paddock. Prince almost tackled Sid at 7 pm yesterday for the feed when I came in. No signs of anything wrong.
So..............I get really really quiet. We don't expect life to be perfect, and we are thankful for every day that goes by when God grants us peace and happiness and lack of illness or crisis. Today just threw me, and all I could do was keep coming back to Deuteronomy 29:29 . I'll let you look it up. I could say this happened because I wasn't good enough, because I sinned and God was mad (that is my old way of thinking)..........but I just think the secret things of the Lord that are unexplainable may remain that way until the day we see Him face to face.
Sid, Prince's llama life-long partner, is frantic tonite. He wants to find Prince. He comes to me with his vocalizations and hoping I will help him and make it all better. But all I can do is hug him and tell him how sorry I am. RT Rocky, a horse waiting for a home here at ASAP, truly loves Sid and was trying to console him tonite. Sid would have nothing to do with it, spitting at Rocky, who retaliated with a small innocent kick. Still, I fee helpless at this point in so many ways.
Thanks to Whitney and her family who trusted us to provide good care for their llamas on an ongoing basis (was it four years or three?). I hope they understand I did everything possible to help Prince during his brief illness that is, right now, undiagnosed and unexplainable. I thought he was completely mended yesterday, just watching him outside. He never lost his appetite. Always looked GREAT and his weight never dropped (I keep going over this again and again).
Say a prayer for me and for Sid and for my family. Craig went out and found a special burial spot for Prince tonite. He rests next to Haiaku and Precious.
Susan
