Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are accomplished - never watched The
Nativity Story, which was so important for me to see with my family, but
all of you know that even the best laid plans of mice and
men.........combined with a horrible case of flu among most of our family
members, has delayed the perfect plan.
His son, we were amazed at His grace and blessings, and now face the end
of 2012 with mixed feelings. I came home tonite along with my family, all of us coughing, sneezing,
headaches, congestion, aching and weak beyond belief, but still keeping
our chins up. I remember my mother's brave decade or more with her
Parkinsons, her tragedies in losing my father and all of her belongings in
a house fire two weeks prior, and realizing that life just isn't fair, yet
God promises to be with us through it all, and my mom stood on that
promise. There is a gaping hole in my heart still, but I realize mom is
celebrating along with the Lord in places we cannot even comprehend, and
before we know it we will join her. Not that I am in a hurry, but as life
goes along we realize there are no guarantees for any of us, and faith is
really important. I am reflecting back upon my life an missing so many influential people. People who introduced me to the world that I was so passionate about,
despite my parents scratching their heads and hoping it was just a phase -
the world of horses. I am reflecting back upon my best friend, Perri, and
her mom and dad, Shirley and Al, all of which are still actively involved
in the horse world. They were the first family I knew as a three year
old, and I was magnetized to their place where I grew up in the Almaden
Valley because their life was what I dreamed of - horses, dogs, cats, even
rats! I got my first taste of riding with them, and my love for horses
deepened as I grew into something I could not contain. My dad "relocated"
us to Wisconsin when I was 15 ( you don't want to do that to a 15 year old
by the way) for a more "wholesome" lifestyle. I found that drinking
started at 14, whereas in California as a 14 year old I was even scared to
go to school dances, let alone drink. My rebellion at being in Wisconsin
blossomed, but many good things eventually came of it. I met people who
shared my passion for horses. My dad "fenangled" a deal where a local
farmer could have free pasture for one of his mares in exchange for me
being able to ride it in the late 70's. I can't tell you how many times I
called Bernie up, wanting to know why his steady mare had bucked me off! He let me figure it out...........and before long I was riding her from my
parents farm to Chaseburg all by myself - about an 8 mile ride. I met so
many horse people back then - there were grill-outs, bar b cues, trail
rides, wagon rides, and there were people willing to come pick me up and
let me tag along. I met Ray Wangen back when I was 14. I did not have a
horse to ride (someone was using my Lady from Bernie), so Ray brought an
28 year old "Indian pony" with one blue eye for me to take on a 2 day
trail ride out by Cashton. I was so nervous my heart was POUNDING. I got
on that old gelding and half way up the trail to the top of the hill the
pony/horse decided this was not for him and he began all the antics he
could to get me off. I eventually flew off him and landed, and I heard
lots of laughter. LAUGHTER! Then Ray's voice telling me to get back on. If my dad had known this......I dont' even want to tell you what he would
have done, but I sucked it up and got back on, petrified. We finished the
ride, and I was hooked. Between my childhood friend and my Wisconsin
experiences, my love for animals and the horse has become a lifetime
passion that won't go away. All these years later, I begin to miss the influential people who have
since passed. We lost Ray in 1998, and I thought my heart would not
endur, as my dad had just suffered a very serious heart attack that year
and was in the hospital at the time of his funeral. I went to my dad's
bedside after Ray's funeral, with tear-stained eyes, recounting how the
Amish community had come together to be at his funeral for all he had done
for them. The funeral procession included Ray's precious chuck wagon,
pulled by one of his favorite teams, and people walking behind the wagon
all the way from the funeral home to the church. My dad listened, then
said, "You don't need to be sad for him any more". I never understood
those words until later. Just a couple of years ago we lost Bernie, the man who had given me my
first ever horse who bucked me off until we learned how to get along with
each other. Bernie had a team of ponies that were sponsored by Rocky's
Restaurant in Stoddard, so he was popular at many many parades throughout
the years. I saw him at Wild West Days about 3 summers ago and realized
he had really slowed down, but was still out there in his late 80's doing
what he loved. Where are all of the old timers? Am I now an old timer? Do I continue to
try to spread the love and passion as the people in my life did? I don't
think I'm old yet, but I realize there are less and less people with the
passion around.......and it scares me. Let me always continue to be an
inspiration to anyone and everyone about the racing industry, the history
of harness racing, the love of the sport, the overall love of horses, and
the knowledge that Standardbreds make the best ever trail horses when they
can no longer race. Merry Christmas, everyone!!!
