You

I don't remember the first time I met you, but I am so glad that I did.

I have hundreds of pictures of me, as a little girl, hugging you tight and smiling from ear to ear and genuinely from my eyes.

You have been in my life from the beginning. You have been my guide, my mentor, and my longest friend.

You have sent me to school, you have sent me on adventures, and you have sent me away to think about what I had done.

You are the reason I have never known hunger except for my hunger to learn.

You are the reason I stayed out of the bars and the drugs and the drama.

You are the reason I try harder and think deeper and love purely.

You have inspired me to be humble, to ask questions, and to simply admire life as it is.

You have given me patience when I had little.

You have shown me kindness when I showed you none.

You have taught discipline which continues to serve me well

You made me a problem solver and a decent citizen and you have always told me I am stronger than I seem, smarter than I think and braver than I believe.

Because of you I have a purpose

Because of you I got my first job

Because of you I have friends who would drop everything if I needed them.

Because of you I am proud of who I am.

Because of you I have seen miracles, I have heard happiness, I have smelled innocence, I have tasted victory, and I have felt loved.

You still make me smile with your mere presence

You are the reason I get up in the morning, the reason I keep going in the afternoon, and the reason I am fulfilled in the evening.

You are the reason I am who I am today. You are the reason I have crossed trained, crossed borders, and crossed oceans.

Without ever having known you I do not know who I would be, but if I lost you today, surely I would not want to be at all.

I look at those pictures of me as a little girl and then look at the pictures of us today and I know how lucky I am to have you in my life.

You have broke me down and built me up

You have seen me through my darkest days and you have brought me to my lightest moments.

You define me and you have given me more than I will ever be able to give you.

I hope you are proud of me.

Although thank you will never be enough, Thank You.

Thank You my beloved past, present, and future horse.

This past semester I took my required speech class which turned out to be one of my all time favorite classes. I heard some amazing stories and I met some truly wonderful people. I also got to share neat things about myself and my life to people who were not tired of my horse talk...yet. The above speech was my final assignment. We were asked to write a commemoration. I could not pass up an opportunity to think about what the horse has done for me and thank the many horses who have made me, me. Although it was better as a speech, I think the point is still clear; I owe the horse a lot...I think we all do.