More Thoughts on Waiting

Today I was impressed with another thought about what it means to Wait on the Lord.

Rusty and I work on an exercise where we trot a figure-8 pattern. When his balance is right, I cue him to canter and we canter a larger circle and then come back to the trot and do it again. Once we've done this a couple of times, Rusty says "I know this!" and starts to anticipate my canter cue. It's like he's saying "We canter now, right? Right?" When he does this, I bring him back to the trot and we continue the figure-8. Each time he gets ahead of me I need to check him. Once he is listening to me, then I can cue the canter and we get a balanced, beautiful canter!

I can so easily get this way with God. I say, "This is it, right, God? Right?" Then He pulls back on the reins and says "Not yet." Just as Rusty must learn to wait for my cue, so I must learn to wait for God's OK. As I've said before, this involves a lot of trust. God has shown me over and over again that I can trust Him. What I think is right may not be His will for me. BUT I can trust and know that His will for me is the best thing I could ever have!

I keep my hand in His and He keeps His Hand in mine and we get there together.

I want to thank Janet R. for her insights that led to this post. You are a blessing and an encouragement to me! P.

Waiting. . .

Doug and I are in the process of getting our house ready for sale so we can purchase property where I can keep horses. I've always wanted a home where I can keep my horses on my own place. We've seen some beautiful homes. Waiting is the hard part.

The Bible has a lot to say about waiting. Psalm 14:17 tells us to wait on the Lord and He will strengthen our hearts. Daniel 6 tells of a long night in a lion's den as Daniel waited on God. I choose to trust Him and wait for His answer. I must remember that waiting is GOOD for me because it reminds me I'm not in charge. God is. No one was ever disappointed while waiting and trusting in God. Why, Abraham waited decades for the promise of Isaac's birth to happen! And it did happen, just as God said it would.

God is never late. So I'll wait.

Where has the summer gone?

September is here (actually over half-way to October). Summer just flew by! We had our hot days, our rainy days, our floods and our mosquitoe plagues! But I enjoy every day I can be out at the barn with my horse. I'll tell you, though, I can't wait for "fly season" to be over. The cooler days of Fall are just right for riding! Soon the colors will change and the trees will be awash in reds, golds, and browns.

The last week of August my husband and I took a vacation to the Grand Canyon. Once I can get my computer and my digital camera to cooperate, I'll have some pics to post. We had a great time in Arizona! Flagstaff is a beautiful town with warm sunny days and cool nights. The Canyon itself was breath-taking! We went out and back by train and that was a lot of fun! I'd like to travel by train again sometime. Everyone at Amtrak was so nice and helpful! Sleeping on the train was very different! (My advice -- the lower bunk is more comfortable!)
So is trying to brush your teeth, take a shower, wash your face, etc...

They fed us very well on Amtrak. The food was excellent and lots of it! Every meal we got to meet someone new. We talked with fellow travellers from all over! That was wonderful!

I enjoyed my vacation very much but missed my horse, too. Rusty was glad to see me when I got home.

Expect the Unexpected

Hi, All!

I just spent an anxious weekend. I had gone out to ride Saturday after work and found that Rusty's left eye had swollen almost completely shut. I showed this to Marie and after she had examined the eye said it was a vet call. She told me you should never take chances when the eyes are concerned.

I borrowed Marie's cell phone and called the vet. Praise God my vet was on call that Saturday afternoon. (The office was closed for the day.) Dr. Kevin said he'd be out so I waited... and paced...and waited... and brushed Rusty... and waited... ( you get the idea). Actually Dr. Kevin came out rather quickly but to a nervous horse-lover it seemed like a loooooooong time.

Dr. Kevin gave Rusty an injection of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory medicine and gave me some ointment to apply to the eye twice a day. I'm very fortunate that Marie will do this (for a small charge) because I cannot get out to the barn twice a day. So, this was on Saturday.

Today, Monday, I went out at my usual time and lo and behold, Rusty's eye looked great! I was so happy and relieved to see both eyes shining brightly at me! I had done a lot of praying over the weekend and Marie applied the ointment twice a day.

Having something wrong with your horse is like having a sick child. You do all you can and you pray a LOT. I still don't know how his eye got injured in the first place. These things happen. But I'm very grateful to Dr. Kevin, Marie and of course to God for being with Rusty and me at this time.

Brandie and Rusty

Brandie visits Rusty with me

My friend, Brandie, spent the day with Rusty and me this past July 4. We had such a fun day with the horses and went out to eat afterward. Brandie loves horses, too and I was happy to have her come out to the stables with me. Rusty really likes her, too.

Well, its been over a month. Sorry for lack of postings.

I want to tell you that the Bug Check is making a difference now. I give Rusty two scoops in his feed every day and I'm noticing an improvement. One scoop was not enough. Today we rode outside and the flies were not as bothersome as they had been before. It used to be that the flies would bother Rusty so badly that he couldn't concentrate on what I was asking him to do. He'd stamp and dance around. Today we even went out in the field for a while and he was great.

July 4th my good friend Brandie came out to the stables with me and helped me with Rusty. We also saw the new babies (a couple of real cuties). It was a fun day and I was glad Brandie could share it with me.

I look forward to the times I can spend with my horse. As we get to know each other better, our rapport is really growing. I can only thank God for this wonderful privilege.