“Every cloud has a silver lining”
What I wouldn’t give to open the barn doors each morning greeted by Romeo’s bright gaze and his notorious head-bob that announced his eager enthusiasm to embrace the adventures of a new day!
What I wouldn’t give to once again walk by his side, to and from the pasture, marveling at the power and strength contained within his earthly body.
What I wouldn’t give to watch him harness that power galloping through the fields, kicking up his heels in pure unbridled joy.
But life had other plans.
Plans that ended one journey and began a new one.
Plans that dealt a monumental loss that would ultimately guide me to bring a greater sense of hope to the world.
Plans that broke my heart wide open so that I could spread joy and laughter to others who are overcoming challenges of their own.
Romeo’s Dream Adult Community Outreach program welcomed its inaugural group on July 21st. A group of beautiful open-hearted and courageous women from the John Volken Academy (addiction recovery program).
Their faces, upon arrival, held the same eager enthusiasm that used to greet me at the barn each morning. The processes with the horses were carefully designed to remind them of the power and strength that lay within each of them. And my hope is that they left knowing how to harness that power to create pure unbridled joy in their own lives.
As we wrapped up our time together I asked the ladies to sum up their take-away from the day. They shared words such as “peace”, “authenticity”, “embracing who you are”, “gratitude”, and for one in particular, a deeper realization that her work in the world needed to include animals.
A beautiful reminder of how horses can so eloquently bring to light and unfurl those hidden pieces that we are all seeking on our journey to wholeness.
My own take-away was the awareness of “a silver lining”.
A reminder that every cloud …
Every loss …
Every heartbreak has a silver lining, if only we are brave enough to look for it. And the creation of Romeo’s Dream Community Outreach program is mine.
Thank you Kathleen, Brek, Emily, Colby, McKenna, Ellie, and Madison for inspiring me with your courage and helping me to find my own silver lining.
Romeo’s Dream Adult Community Outreach program was created in memory of our beloved equine partner, Romeo (2003 – 2019), as a means of continuing his legacy of love, joy and laughter by creating opportunities for those in need to experience the wisdom of horses.
