Monday, 29 January 2007 - Barbaro

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for Barbaro (4.29.03 - 1.29.07).

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
~Cecil F. Alexander

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. ~Arabian Proverb

To ride a horse is to ride the sky. ~Author Unknown

Ah, steeds, steeds, what steeds!
Has the whirlwind a home in your manes?
Is there a sensitive ear, alert as a flame, in your every fiber?
Hearing the familiar song from above,
all in one accord you strain your bronze chests and,
hooves barely touching the ground,
turn into straight lines cleaving the air,
and all inspired by God it rushes on!
~Nikolai V. Gogol, Dead Souls, 1842, translated from Russian
(this quote combines translations by Bernard Guildert Guerney, Richard Peaver, and Larisa Voloklonsky)

I am not a horse person. Yet, this 1,200 pound thoroughbred captured my imagination with his spectacular Kentucky Derby win in 2006. Then, his courageous eight-month struggle to recover from a freak accident at the Preakness stole my heart. Now, I grieve Barbaro's untimely death.

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

Related post: http://gratefuljournal.blogspot.com/2006/08/tuesday-01-august-2006-prayers-for.html