
I was in the grooming stall with James, brushing him down as he ate his grain. My thoughts traveled back to a conversation I recently had with James. He had said to me: “Cat is leaving! Cat is leaving!” James loves the mares in his herd. You could say he owns the girls. Being with them is very important to him. The last few years he has had a mare he especially fancies. A thoroughbred like him, Cat is beautifully expressive, has a huge sensitive heart, and is as sweet as can be to those who honor her. James is very much like her in those ways. James and Cat share a special bond, and he watches out for her. With the other mares, he loves them one minute and bosses them around the next. Not this one. Not Cat. When they are together, they always appear to be in their own special bubble of peace. The peace and connection between them is palpable. He’ll even let me share his carrots with her :)
But, she was moving to another barn soon, and James wanted me to know about it. He shared: “Of all the ones that have left, this one will be the hardest for me to lose.” Gulp. There was nothing I could do for him. I invited him to cherish the moments he had left with her. And I just sat in his energy with him holding space.
As I remembered this conversation, now brushing his coat on his left shoulder and then along his ribs, I said to James: “One day I’ll lose you.” He quickly replied: “Let’s not talk about that.” I continued anyway: “I wish we could be together forever.” And then his answer stunned me: “Forever is simply a collection of moments. Be completely present in this moment with me, and you have found forever.”
Comments