Blessings

[MargieKC@aol.com]

I feel blessed every day when I get up in a warm house and look out my window
to see my two horses wandering out of their dry barn/shed looking for the
"woman with the food."  To get to the barn, I must walk by my 2-horse trailer
- not terribly expensive but a nice trailer and certainly able to haul those
two spoiled creatures whereever we decide to go - and by my 8-year-old small
(but comfortable) RV with 75,000 miles.  The whole set isn't worth a whole lot
(relatively speaking) but I feel blessed.

Because I volunteer with families who don't live as well as my horses.  A dry
barn with warm hay, somewhere to get in out of the Kansas City winter would be
heaven to them.  An RV with heat and running water AND a bathroom, a Godsend!
Without the support of our local city mission and a large number of kind and
generous donors, many of these children would not have food twice a day.  In
fact, many wouldn't eat at all.  And Christmas presents - not a chance!  And
yet, I hear more thankfulness and kindness from these unfortunate people than
I have been hearing from some on ridecamp.

We horse owners are an incredibly fortunate lot.  If you have a truck able to
pull a trailer containing a horse and tack and the whole business (including
the horse) isn't worth $5,000 and you can still afford to put shoes on the
horse and gas in the truck to drive you to a ride in a beautiful forest and
share in a pot-luck with friends, you are blessed!!  In my opinion, anyone who
can do this even once or twice a year and then complains they can't afford an
extra $10.00 to pay a non-member fee needs to reevaluate his/her lifestyle.
Go to your local mission and meet people in real need.  In fact, trailer you
horse over there - it would give the kids a thrill.

I readily admit my husband makes a good salary and I have a comfortable
lifestyle.  But if you can afford to own and feed a horse and participate in a
horse-related sport, you can't be destitute.  So please, can we quit sounding
like the poorest of the poor.  There are so many people who would love to
trade places with any of us - or even our horses.

Margie Burton
Central Region