The Horse Whisperer

A Celebration of Life can flourish into moments you'll never forget. Gordy's was one of those. His death was sudden but his effect on others was far from over. Gordy was not just any, big, bearded man who mucked horse stalls in the Winter and held newborn kittens in the Spring. People gravitated to Gordy because he was honest, because he was humble and because he saw beauty in a purple thistle, a sway-back horse and a wounded field mouse left to die. Many of us cannot dig that deep into ourselves to see 'small treasures' and to share 'small treasures'..so, today, after Gordy died on an operating table, we got to hear the stories of so many men and women who loved to be near him. He was LENNY...LENNY from 'Of Mice and Men'...misunderstood, protected yet 'pure'.

The Celebration was held at the stables Gordy last worked at. There were flowers around the barn but they were not manicured roses with heather bought at a fancy store... the flowers were local, picked off the ranch and put in jars. So appropriate and so very beautiful. I smiled as I walked past them. Simple gesture.

Then there was the fencing. The wooden border circled a gazebo. On the top boards were 'horses'..small horses. Some were galloping, some were posing and others were just 'still', still like Gordy. They were set out for guests to take. Gordy was a giver..he wanted people to be happy so, his father, his only relative, 'Chuck', asked the guests to please take a small token of his son with them. Also, there were pictures and hockey cards, old weathered cowboy hats and shirts he had worn while he spoke to the horses.

Humans were not the only ones invited to this Celebration...there were 'horses' let out to watch the proceedings..the horses he cared for , the horses he rode. One was Pica, an old Police horse who had taken this man on many trail rides up north. Gordy was 'wilderness'. He did the cattle drives, he passed on colourful weeds to his sweethearts and he brushed the old dodgers, the old horses we put out to pasture. One man at this ceremony spoke of how Gordy could win a mean-spirited animal over in a day.

He 'had this way about him'. He was an imposing man to many because he was tall, bearded and BIG like LENNY. People were scared of him, but the animals..they sensed his gentle side. They trusted him and he made friends with the goats, the sheep, the pigs, the 'nervous' chickens and the moodiest of horses.

When I listened to people speak about his trials in life, I was amazed at how he never lost hope. Gordon worried about his aging 'best friend' before heart surgery. He asked his father if someone was mucking out the stalls because the horses would be uncomfortable and 'it was his job'.

He worried about the pigs getting fed and the barn being locked up at night. He worried about all of this just before his chest would be opened for the last time.

So, in this world where we get trapped with money matters, embattle ourselves against people who are negative, walk past old, weathered animals that no-one else tends to...there is 'LENNY', there is GORDY who would pick up a snail and put it out of harms way. There was Gordy who would tell an old horse it was loved before he went home to bed.

Again, we loose a wonderful soul who mattered. And above me during the service two magestic bald eagles circled. They circled with a rich blue sky behind them. It was a perfect farewell to 'the Horse Whisperer'. Simple men like Gordon leave large imprints on those left behind. We should all be so humble and caring, open and loving. Your horses are loved, the animals are fed, the flowers are picked and your energy is with us.

SOPHIE

My sister was dying. I knew she was not going to make it. I knew my visits were all about making her last days precious. She loved many people. She loved all the creaturs great and small. She loved her cats.

I went to her home almost daily to ensure her 'cats' were taken care of. She had two 'babies',as she called them, Sophie and Sebastian. I felt guilt each time I went into her home to water the plants and feed the cats. The cats missed her, I only saw dried, crusty cat food and still water. They were hidden. The cats were hidden, as they patiently waited for their 'Mom' to come home and pamper them. I wasn't that person.

When I went to see my sister she was very focused. She was focused on 'her two babies', her cats. I thought it was tragic that two cats would be more important than 'LIFE'. Lynsey would ask about her cats daily, "are they okay?", "I don't want them to be alone.", "Are you feeding them?"...it was the daily questions. She was dying, they were living, but the questions still existed. ARE THEY OKAY?

I'd go into her home daily. It was a dark time. I missed her, Lynsey's energy. I had to check her mail, her phone messages, the kitty litter..I had to live in HER WORLD. The cats were just 'reminders' that Lynsey was absent. Yes, she was absent and the two cats, siblings, like Lynsey and myself, were left to 'fend' for themselves. I offered wet food, dry food, water and verbal tunes of 'kitty kitty'..but, they were in HER WORLD.

At the hospital I reminded my sister that her 'cats' were loved, cared for, loved and safe. She was not of the same world. She wanted to see them, to touch them, to coddle and hold them...but, she was not permitted to leave the hospital and share her love for her '2' cats.

I told her over and over and over that they were 'safe'...but she pleaded to see them at Christmas...Christmas....who could deny that? The hospital staff told me, "she cannot see her cats..she cannot be tempted by the things she holds dear to her..she cannot SEE THE CATS!"... I felt trapped.
So, on Christmas day, I lied to my dying sister. I told her 'she could not see her babies or I WOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE'. Lynsey was and is a tropper..she just said, "I don't want you to get in trouble."...She was BRAVE, she was KIND....she was LYNSEY.

Then she died. She died too soon and the cats were left to my fate. Would they be taken to a shelter or be placed in familiar homes? It was a daunting choice. Her 'babies' were now my responsibility. I had my 'cats' , but there was this amazing bond she had with 'her cats'. What does a brother do?
I took the sister cat. Sophie would jump on my lap whenever I would come to my sister's home to check the phone mail, her plants, the cat food...I just pushed the envelope of LIFE...continue..press 'A' and wait. The wait was fatal. There would be no home for the cats she loved so much.

Lynsey died. She died with a huge heart, an incredible love of animals and friends. She slipped away too soon and the 'cats' , her babies..were still in jeopardy.

Time to do the right thing. Time to 'step it up', time to MATTER. I took Sophie into my world and my step-brother took Sebastion. They were 'in the family'.

Today...I hold her, I love her, I talk to her about...LYNSEY...I tell her how caring and attached her owner was to HER. I tell her she is loved and cared for , not unlike a child. When I hold SOPHIE, I hold my sister in my arms. They are attached and I am with both of them. Sophie is Lynsey, Lynsey is Sophie.