Patience

This is Patience. I met her at Waihoanga Centre January 2006 while at a retreat there. Anna and I enjoyed sneaking carrots from the kitchen to feed her. After a while she recognized us. She often hung out with the ram on the property. We saw her licking him. On our last day we said goodbye to Patience and tears were running down her eyes. Something in her eye? Or something more? My friend Dawn says horses take on the emotions of others, they are so sensitive. I was sad to leave but I was also in a sad place, missing my daughter in New York during the holidays.

Patience died in December, 2006. A lovely story has made the end of her life even more special. It was Patience's habit to follow Barry, her owner, when he walked along the fence to retrieve his newspaper. On his walk back, he gave her a bucket of nuts. Barry noticed Patience seemed to get lazy, to not follow him every morning. But then the Ram began leading Patience to the end of the fence and back again. It was discovered Patience was blind and the ram was helping her get around. Patience was over 36 years old.