One day, not too long ago, the finger of God touched my heart in a strange way. I stopped in at the barn where I keep my show horse, and while visiting with my trainer and other friends, I noticed a family I had not seen there before. Their son was going up and down the aisle where the horses are stalled, attempting to get their attention, while the dad was watching carefully. It was obvious that they were not as used to horses as I was, so I left my friends, walked over to the young man’s dad, and asked what the boy’s name was.
John is ten years old and had an obvious delight in these beautiful animals staring at him. I gently took him over to a horse I knew would be perfectly calm to pet. I had raised her from birth myself, although she is now a fancy show horse owned by a great rider. “John,” I said, “pet this one; she likes you.” He squealed with joy as Star put her soft muzzle on his forehead and smacked a good lick of his hair. “Nothing like a little equine love,” I thought.
John stuck his hand towards the horse, but I warned him that the horse might think his finger was a carrot and urged him to be careful. He looked at me with eyes full of joy and laughed out loud as he exclaimed, “Carrot!” By the time I had to leave, John’s hair — or as we horse lovers like to say, “forelock” — was wet from Star’s loving kisses. I hoped his mom wouldn’t mind that night; there is nothing better than that barn smell as far as I am concerned.
Yes, it was one of those joyous moments, and one I needed, as life sometimes throws you curve balls you think are just too big for you to handle. Then God allowed me to meet John, a little boy with Down syndrome, who reminded me of the joys set before us every day — the little things that are so important — and the fact that when storms come, you can always delight in the everyday joys of life around you and praise the God who created it all.
I left that barn renewed, and I can still hear the joy of this precious young man in his delightful discovery of horses, the strong yet wise animal God put on earth to be a delight to those who can see and feel them. Thank you, John, for being here. Thank you for being the instrument of God’s love to me. And many thanks to your parents, who chose life so that we could all be blessed.
Our guest blogger is Janne Myrdal, who serves as State Director of Concerned Women for America of North Dakota. To learn more about Down syndrome and the pro-life resources available on this issue, visit Downsyndromebrochure.com, a project of Concerned Women for America.