A Horse Story

A Horse Story

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

And it came to a pass that a little girl was born. She grew up in the midst of the muddle. As there were six, time, energy, and money were distributed as best could be expected. Encouragement was given to strike a balance between personal dreams while at the same time incorporating a few traditional ventures for good measure. After all, what good is it if you only get what you want without adhering to a few generational hand-me-downs passed down.  Truth is, nobody wants to continue piano lessons, or learn how to cook, or take time to pound out a little ironing.

This one, the second born, had a bounce in her step. Creativity danced with lessons given, expressive talent poured through her fingers upon the piano, and much about life was simply fun. She brought light laughter to many a situation, and gave of herself with her heart.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, she let it be known that she absolutely adored horses. It was easy at first. Thinking it was only a phase, we did what every good parent would do. When Christmas came, we purchased her, her very own…BOOK! We took it a step further by subscribing to a Horse a Rider magazine…affordable items which fostered the dream. When the pages had been turned and the love for this interest appeared to have grown, unbeknownst to me, the soft hearted one of her parents took it upon himself to begin the process of trying to locate the real deal.

Soon, he happened across the perfect size, the perfect color, and one with the perfect demeanor for the little lover of horses. Enter Paco into our world. Riding wasn’t as important as knowing you had a horse and taking the time to work with him wasn’t as fun as admiring from afar…and so it went. The thrill was no less adventuresome even if one didn’t spend as much time as one thought they might. The reality was, Paco was here and he was hers.

The horse grew older as the little girl grew up. Off she went into the world, and off Paco went into his, hanging with others in the pasture…fed, cared for, and talked to. Special gates were left open so he could make his way to and from the drinking areas, and he seemed content.

But one day, the dad noticed that Paco no longer had the bounce in his step that he usually did. A vet check brought with it a reality check, and with that came little hope. As time passed, Paco slowed. One evening he spotted Paco…no longer able to stand. This gentleman dad was gentle and as he leaned in one last time to have a little heart to heart with the horse he had purchased for his little girl, he said his goodbyes. He knew it was a matter of time.

“Thanks for taking such good care of my little girl and for the time spent on this farm. You did a good job, Paco. Thank you,” whispered the dad.

He then turned and headed home.

May we, too, someday be blessed by the words of our Master as spoken in Matthew 25:23.  “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful...Enter into the joy of your Master.”  Amen.