Love

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr

So, I met the horses to consider for adoption through the Oklahoma Thoroughbred Retirement Program. They were all so lovely and what's more, loving. The horses I met were some of the most loving creatures and were almost like giant puppies in their willingness to seek human affection. I have been around horses my whole life and I have rarely come across such immediate devotion from these animals as these horses exhibited to me, a virtual stranger in their pastures. I was filled with joy to spend the day around horses. To know these were horses that were safe now but had been, for a large majority of them, slated for ill fates at the hands of man, but still could display such trust and warmth, was humbling. I recently read a book by Susan Richards called Chosen By A Horse, in which an ex-race horse, a Saddlebred for pacing races, was rescued by Richards and in turn saved Richards and taught her how to live and love again. The power of love is often times overwhelming. It defies reason and almost always returns. Despite horrible life experiences, we still have faith in the emotion, animals are no different. I am given strength in my faith in humans because of the wonderful women charged with caring for these rescued horses. They were sacrificial in their love and I know that there will always be this power of love in people to combat the evil of others. The key is awareness. People must know about atrocities and be given a catalyst for their love. We all have the ability to affect change, we just have to be brave and purposeful in our love to keep the wheels in motion. I am refreshed to receive this lesson in love from a field full of rescued race horses.