On the evening of Thursday, April 4th, after 20 years together, Mr. Mighty Wizard (aka Wizzy), at 28 years old, went over the rainbow bridge. It was a dark, cold, unforgiving, rainy night. With my dear husband and our wonderful compassionate vet, Mike at our side, we said goodbye. It was bad enough to say goodbye to Wizzy, our "Teddy Horse", who ruled this farm on a hill all those years, but someone else was also left behind. Our mare, Diamond.
If you have yet to hear the cry from a horse who has lost their mate, I hope you never have to. It is one of the saddest sounds I have ever heard. The panic infused, heartbreaking whinny is soul crushing. Unfortunately, there is not much we as humans can do either, horses like to be with their own. Diamond had been with The Wiz since she was 4, a beautiful 20 years.
I was at a loss all weekend trying to comfort her as best I could; treats, grooming, special walks, nothing helped. She needed a companion. All weekend the weather raged, snow, wind, rain...Finally, Sunday morning the weather broke, I put on her halter and brought her out to the front yard that was blushing with fresh spring grass. As the sun rose, and the first warm breath of spring air sauntered by, she put her head down and began to eat.
She nibbled at first, still sad and depressed, but then with the taste, the magic, the tonic of the first beautiful green shoots of grass, and the warming sun on her sides, I felt her make a shift. She nuzzled against my leg and I felt a "thank you". We spent the morning out there together, mourning Wizzy, but embracing the beauty of the new season, together. As I looked down at her, finally seeming content and accepting her new life, all I could think about the situation right then and there was, "pure bliss". The sun, the air, the fresh grass, a horse's (and my) heart on the mend, it was pure bliss.
That day, I decided to start a blog. It will be my first time doing this. Every day I take long walks on my property with my dogs, and now with my horse, and I see the most amazing things, mostly of the natural world. I don't know about you, but I could use a bit more positivity in my life. Little doses of something uplifting sounds good to me. So, every week I am going to post an illustration and a blog about something I encounter that is wonderful on my walks, they will be called my "Weekly Wonders". I hope they give your day some happiness, as they do mine. This post is my first go at it:)
Cheers!