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Fun Feel-Good
Story of Summer 2010...enjoy an emotionally rewarding story of CWER's
outreach to "regular" members of our communities. Please remember --
your donations help make us able to do all we do -- from rehabilitation
of a horse in trouble to helping family members find an easier way to
reach each other during trying times...
Written by our own full-time farm manager,
volunteer Mike Cross...
A week or
so ago I
went to our little town grocery. As I was getting off my bicycle I
watched a
grandmother help her grand daughter out of a little white van. You
could see
that the two of them were not very comfortable with each other. In
the store we
were in line next to each other and I asked the little girl, who was
maybe 5,
if she liked horses. She nodded but did not say anything. I told the
grandmother about the rescue and that if they came out I would give
them both a
ride on Tess. I gave them a card and went on my way.
That
night while AnnMarie
and I were feeding the same little white van pulled in the driveway. AM
continued to feed as I got Tess and took her in the arena and put her
tack on.
The little girl was a little hesitant about getting on Tess by herself
so I
talked grandma into getting on Tess first. We often have people ride
Tess with
their kids and if the kids are nervous about getting on having the
parent or in
this case grandparent ride first gives the kids confidence enough to
try. After
grandma walked a lap the granddaughter was ready to ride with grandma.
I helped
the little
girl up the steps and sat in her front of her grandmother where grandma
could
hold on. I got down and started to lead Tess turning around to talk to
them as
doing so. The little girl was snuggled into grandma and grandma was
smiling
huge. We walked around several laps and I fed Tess some treats making
bow and
stretch and do the things we normally do.
When
I helped them
get off Tess grandma had tears in her eyes and told me why. Her son is
sick and
in the hospital and the mother of the little girl left more than a year
ago. So
she was taking care of her granddaughter who she did not know. She told
me that
riding on Tess was the first time her granddaughter let her hold her.
To
be part of a young
lady trusting her grandmother to protect her for the first time was
amazing to
me.
To
all of the
CrossWinds supporters, Thank you so much for
helping us be able to help horses and touch people like this. -- MIKE
Want to help? consider...volunteering,
sponsorship, membership, one-time donations...
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