Wednesday, May 4, 2016

A Heartwarming Tail

Whenever I hold them, I'm overcome with a rush of emotion.
Nope! It's not a typo--tail, not tale. Although, I've been known to weave a few tales involving horses (as well as typos). But today, I'm referring to the actual tail from a horse I used to ride.

This morning, I read a blog post at Harlequin Heartwarming's blogspot, entitled Heartwarming and Horses, by Leigh Riker. In her post, Riker describes a brick she had set in a walkway outside of Saddlebred Museum at Kentucky Horse Park in memory of her horse. Leigh's story squeezed my heart so much that it prompted me to share my own heartwarming tail, shown in the picture to the right.

Back in my younger (more limber) years, my husband and I spent many weekends with friends on their ranch. We rode and trained horses together, traveled to shows, and spent nights under a canopy of stars using hay bails as head rests. Sounds romantic, doesn't it? Maybe at twenty-something, but the truth is I'm just too old to sleep in the bed of a pickup truck anymore. Funny how you only remember the romantic parts of a situation and not the aches and pains that went along with it. In fact, I'm so spoiled now that I complain if my hotel doesn't rate at least 3 stars. But, I digress...

Recently, I was blessed to reconnect with our friends in California. David made me these key fobs shown in the picture above. They're woven from the tails of the horses we used to ride together. The horses are all passed away now, but these keepsakes will always remind me of the wonderful memories we share with these dear friends. Whenever I hold them, I'm overcome with a rush of emotion.

Is there something special in your life that overwhelms you with emotion whenever you hold it?