Tag Archives: contentment

It’s all good…

September 2, 2010

After a sweltering summer and vicious schedule I finally had the opportunity to spend an extended period of time with my horses yesterday.

The Training Plan

What a delightful time we had. Bo and I enjoyed both warming up and cooling down without a bridle and Swizzle was finally saddled again after I don’t know how many weeks without seeing a girth. Swizzle and I had an glorious ride. Bo and Swizzle are my amazing grays.  [Click HERE for more on them...]

Bo

I spend a little time with the horses every day, but we haven’t had a chance to play or really maintain our sturdy training foundations, much less build upon them. Yesterday was the day we were going to begin a routine once again that included under-saddle activities. After my rides on Bo and Swizzle I got Shiner out and we played together. I’ll share more about Shiner’s special role in our family and in our barn when my next book gets a bit closer to its publication date.

Swizzle

The plan began well. All were blessed.

The last time we started a training schedule I got two days in and then the rains came. At the moment I have no all-weather place to work so got shut down pretty quickly. Oh, well. I don’t run up and down the roads to shows anymore, so it’s all good.

The Plan Interrupted

About 3:15  this morning I awoke to the crack of thunder, quick flashes of lightning, and the sound of rain pummeling the glass window above our headboard. I pulled on a slicker and rubber boots and headed to the barn. The three horses in the pasture were under the shelter, but I do not like them out when there is frequent lightning.  During an oh-so-brief instant when a flash of lightening lit up the pasture light daylight,  Swizzle caught sight of me up at the barn. She cried (and I mean cried…. she did not whinny and she did not holler) all the way to the barn as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Bo made sure that Shiner followed Swizzle and within a moment or two they were all tucked into their cozy stalls.

The past month or so has seen the lush green pastures and road sides of north central Texas begin to burn from a lack of rain. We sorely needed rain. We got it. One of our rain gauges read 2.60 inches and the other between 4 and 5 inches. Having two rain gauges is like having two watches; you never really know what time it is and you never really know how much it rained. But, what a blessing to the parched land and trees!

Well, there goes my training schedule again. There is a lake of mud where my arena should be. Bo, Swizzle and Shiner will be getting the day off.

But you know what?  It’s all good…

Also tagged , – No Comments

What, me worry?

January 28, 2010

A blogger friend recently described his secret to staying positive and finding joy daily. His wonderful post is the inspiration for this one.

This is from the beginning of the fourteenth chapter of AMAZING GRAYS-AMAZING GRACE: Pursuing relationship with God, horses, and one another.

A Horse in the Light

Changed by Relationship

Each day is a new life, from the birth of morning and waking up to the death of evening and sleeping. We are made each day to come to God for our daily bread (Luke 11:3) whether the food is spiritual, mental, physical, or actual nourishment for our bodies. It was once said that if we live each day as if it were our last, one day we would most certainly be correct. Jesus cautions us not to worry about tomorrow; today is all we are guaranteed. Horses do not worry about whether the grass will still be green tomorrow or if the water barrel will still be filled.

Are horses wiser than we are?

To visit the AMAZING GRAYS website, click HERE

Also tagged , , , , – 2 Comments

Does the finger of guilt point at you? A call to action…

August 26, 2009

Contentment based on ignorance may allow for peace, but when we awaken to the facts, inner peace is no longer possible unless we act upon those facts. How’s your inner peace doing today? Let not your heart be troubled, you have the power to reclaim your peace. The question is, are you willing?

There is a great revival building in the United States and perhaps the world. We live in a very active time politically and spiritually. Great change is on the way, the question is, what change?

Evidence of revival is twofold; the number of citizens who are speaking out with passion rather than continuing to just passively listen, and the number of Christians who are beginning to listen passionately rather than simply speaking idle words.

Is there a still small voice inside telling you to attend a town hall meeting, join a group, write a letter, open your Bible or share a truth with someone else? If so, do it. That’s the simple answer to inner peace.

Our government and our churches have been doing unto us, resulting in a rise of discontent in both homes and pews. The tide will only turn if The People make it so. I don’t advocate any one strategy or policy; my only message today is to The People, who have both the power and responsibility to govern themselves.

Citizenship infers active status, requiring participation. It is not an honorary title bestowed at birth. Are you outraged when you hear the day’s news, or do you sigh in resignation? In either case, without action, you aren’t deserving of your title of citizen.

The majority of our citizens, according to every poll, believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. What change will return the United States to prosperity of both economy and national vision? The change you make.

You must pay attention to the voice within you, whether it is a constant drumbeat or barely audible. Whether the voice is your conscience or the Holy Spirit, don’t just listen; it is your call to action.

The enemy of freedom is apathy. Our founders knew we would get the government we deserve. History has proven them right once again. Let’s deserve better.

Do you feel guilt or shame when you see a United States soldier deployed, wounded, or returned to our soil only to be buried under it? If you are ignoring the voice within, then guilt and shame are entirely appropriate emotions. Embrace them, they are your choice.
Peace, whether national or personal requires commitment. Stand up. Speak up. Whatever that voice asks you to do, do it.

Also tagged , , , , – 2 Comments

Are you living in real time?

August 6, 2009

Most people spend a significant part of their day worrying about what happened yesterday, what may happen tomorrow, or living with the expectation that some future date or occurrence will magically cause contentment to finally be theirs. “When I buy a house,” “When I get married,” “When I get divorced,” “When I lose weight,” “When I have more money,” “When vacation gets here,” “When I have kids,” or “When the kids are finally grown and gone.”

There always seems to be something about the circumstances of our lives at the moment that makes us yearn for a better time that was, or creates an expectation of a better time in the future. What ever happened to contentment? Mind you, aspirations and goals are wonderful things, but not when they cause us to lose our joy in today. It is the pursuit of aspirations and goals that create excitement. It is the way we live our lives that determine its texture and significance, not the details of our circumstance.

Only when we consider the best part of our lives to be our present moment, will we reap the benefits and joy of contentment – living in real time. Bask in the reality of now. If there is a beautiful sunset developing on the western horizon, create a place that allows you to enjoy it with great luxury. Do you think you would have a better view if you were on a beach somewhere, reclining with an umbrella drink in your hand? Now you’ve left real time behind.

Create luxury where you are, even if it is an old sofa pillow and the drink in your hand is a Diet Coke. Pick the pillow or blanket you want, grab the drink of your choice, and watch the sunset with the same wonder and awe you would have on that imaginary beach. You have the power to richly enjoy the sunset provided for you right where you are. Why yearn for an unknown love to sit beside you on that beach when the dog that loves you more than life itself sits at your feet just waiting for an invitation to share the pillow or blanket with you?

Most discontent comes from a false belief that everyone else is better off than we are, and all we need to do is get what they have, look like they look, or act like they act in order to be who they appear to be. In truth, “they” are seldom what they appear to be. That notion is the basis of advertising pitches and class envy.

It has been oft said that living well is the best revenge. Living well is a value statement, not a description of body type or bank account. Do you think you could somehow feel love more deeply with a facelift? Is a pedigree in any way significant to how wonderful your relationship is with your dog? Live with abandon in the moments of today, resolving to build a little bigger “today”, tomorrow.

When we reach the end of this life, our greatest regrets will have nothing to do with what we didn’t have; they will be in how we wasted the opportunities we had to live joyously, share openly and love greatly. Are you living in real time?

Also tagged , , , – 2 Comments