It was a glorious weekend in Colorado. It’s the first week in November and the temperatures were in the 70s. I took a friend to the Hope Held By A Horse event and we were working outside so we were happy with the weather. The sky was clear and blue as we took our participants outside. Hope Held By A Horse is to assist breast cancer patients and survivors in their emotional healing.
The first evening we all meet, and participants get to meet some of the horses. This leads to the emotional healing they do the next day. After a few activities the next morning we take the participants out to the indoor arena for them to meet each horse that we will be partnering with that day and to be matched with their human and horse coaches.
After a long day of working with the horses, we gather in a circle and have a checkout. In reflecting one of the women said that it’s sad that it takes something like a cancer diagnosis to bring you back to living.
The last thing we did was listen to Tim McGraw’s song Live Like You Were Dying. It didn’t take long for my tears to start flowing.
Why tears? We spent five and one-half years trying to keep Mike alive. I spent four holiday seasons grateful that he was with us. We put off some things that we might have done for fun. He sold his cattle and some of the land. We drove well over 57,000 miles. All so we could fight his illnesses. I wouldn’t change a bit of those years.
I also spent a lot of years resentful with him about choices I made. All marriages have their highs and lows. I didn’t see how much time he spent with the boys or how much he ached for me when I was hurting. Because of this, our boys don’t have the best model on which to base their relationships.
Follow your heart they say… Mine always leads me to the Barn!
What struck me while listening to that song was, we weren’t living our best life. Then we were trying to keep him alive.
Don’t wait for some type of illness to jar you into living. Do it now. Before the diagnosis. Before the treatments. Live your fullest life now.
You can find me at the barn, behind the camera, or designing while living my best life.
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Onward!
