Monthly Archives: January 2012

The Prize

Fifth grade Sunday School students are fun. They are right on the edge of diving into young adulthood. They are good readers. They ask tough questions. Best of all, they still like we “old” people. This is my third year for teaching Sunday School to 5th graders at our church and is Sher’s eleventh year. We have two classes, and I teach one of them, Sher the other. Both classes use the same material, and share teaching ideas. Well, mostly I use Sher’s ideas. She is a gifted teacher.

Our students are given Bible memory verses to learn each week. It is a competition with a prize at the end, and this fall two girls memorized all of them! Both girls love horses, and Sher asked if we could give them a morning with the horses. That would be my part. She would provide homemade pizza for lunch afterwards.

Last Saturday was the prize day. Arriving at 10 a.m. to a bleak-looking farm (winter is not the time for a pretty farm) and extra-fuzzy horses, the girls were well dressed for the cold morning and biting wind. At least for an hour!

Alexis and High Hope meet for first time.

The first meeting of new friends.


I was having such fun, I scarcely heard the girls say they were getting cold. Not until I heard my husband’s loud voice boom out, “WE ARE COLD!!!” did I notice red cheeks, and even redder noses on all of them!

There is little that is more cozy than being bareback on a warm, fuzzy horse—-unless one is going into a warm house for homemade pizza and hot tea!

Alexis on HH

A fuzzy, warm horse on a cold day!

Lexi on HH

Homemade pizza and hot tea are waiting for us afterwards!


The truth is, I believe I am the one that has won the prize. For these students have taught me far more than I ever have them. It is a gift with a prize.

Cast your bread upon the waters. Eccl. 11:1

Congratulations, girls!

How close are You?

How close are you to your horses? Can you see them from a window in your house or must you drive to the barn where they are boarded?

Our horses live here on our place and I feel blessed. My twin sister puts their horses on winter pasture where they live out west. She does not get to see them during the long winter months at all. At least not without effort and a 40-50 minute drive. How about you?

But, you know what? It also is a burden having our horses right outside the window. I see them everyday, and most of those days they are doing very little. I do not ride anywhere near like I’d like. Do you?

So, what do you do with your horses to “stay in touch” with them? I sure would like to hear from you. Would you like to know what I do?

Most everyday (except Sunday) when I go out in the morning to feed, I groom them. It settles my spirit while I talk to them and listen to them contently munching their sweet-smelling hay. I also pick hooves.

Also, I split up their ration of hay throughout the day. Really, just because I can. So when I go feed those couple flakes (or bricks, what do you call them?) of hay, I mess around with them. I call it “groundwork”. That makes me feel like a “big” horsewoman!!

It is fun and the horses, I know, enjoy the attention. I’ll take anything I think they need to make them more bombproof, i.e., opened umbrella, plastic bags, bells, flag, Christmas garland, etc. I hope you enjoy these pictures of us just messing around, and enjoying the company of one another.

Enjoy your time—all of it—with your horse!

We have a Question

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.
George Washington Carver

This is an interesting thought.

Do you have an example you would share of experiencing this and being tuned-in to God’s Voice while spending time with your horse? We would like to hear it.