Times of Change and Moments to Treasure
Every day as I walk out to feed my horse I’m thankful for living in such a super generous community. My horses help me appreciate the simple things in life. Just smelling them every day keeps me grounded. Life looks so different right now. I don’t ride as often as I should, but now it’s been nearly 3 month since I’ve been on my horse. My last ride was November 19th, at the ranch sorting in Lynden. I remember being blown away by the number of sorters; I sure miss the companionship of my horse and the socializing at horse events.
Lately, my time has been consumed with learning all the things Mark took care of before his stroke including: home finances, business shipping and accounting. This is combined with his care giving. I’m not complaining. I’m so happy he’s still with me, but I feel bad I don’t have a chance to respond to every generous, thoughtful card or email. I hope that sharing a few thoughts now will communicate some of my gratitude for the wonderful horse peeps in my life.
Our Church (Christ the King in Bellingham, WA) has given generously to help us through this. Close friends and family have donated food, horse care, paid for dog kenneling, vehicle repairs, building materials and labor for the home modifications that have to be made. Not to mention the hugs once in a while! The charity events were so unexpected and, again, I am so grateful for all the contributions from hosts and attendees of these events. I can’t begin to mention everyone that’s contributed.
Because of this hardship, it’s been so much easier to see things to be thankful for. Health is so important; it’s scary when you lose physical abilities. As I creep past the big 50 I’m aware of my mortality in new ways. Seeing my husband go through all the trauma of hospitalization has been life changing. People in the health care profession are saints. There were so many wonderful doctors and nurses through this experience. I’m always fearful of opening the day’s mail and encountering a new medical bill, but each time I go to the post office there’s also a card or letter that lifts my spirits.
Mark is improving physically. His speech and cognitive ability has been affected the most, but that is coming around. Therapy really makes a difference. He is able to work at different tasks, but still requires a lot of sleep. We are so incredibly blessed by all of you helping us through this—thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.”~ Miyamoto Musashi
Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages. Now 29 years later, it’s an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses!
Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.
