What One Horse Wants For Christmas

With the holidays coming up, I wondered what my horse, Boo, would like for Christmas, so I asked him! As I inquired, thoughts of my sister Marci’s horse, Jericho, who passed on November 4, 2019, flooded into my mind. Then, with a loving heart he said, “Tell them our story.”

Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought of him. Jericho and I hadn’t “talked” since before he died. It’s not that I haven’t thought of talking to him, it’s that I wasn’t ready.

Jericho was born on Marci’s farm in 1988. Marci and Jericho shared an amazing relationship for 31 years. The love, trust and loyalty to each other was genuine and I was able to become part of that relationship. In 2011, my mentor Rebecca Moravec was dying and could no longer go to the barn; she asked me to consider taking her horse, Boo. Making the choice to re-home Boo was a huge decision. I was 54 years old, Boo would be my first horse, and I wanted to board him at Marci’s farm. Marci has been the guardian of horses for most of her life and she could become my mentor with Boo. However, there was a challenge to overcome. Marci and I didn’t get along very well.

A few weeks before Rebecca asked me to take Boo, Marci and I had a disagreement and our mother expressed that she would like me to learn to get along with my sister. I did not think that I would be able to do that, but as I slept on the notion, I wondered, why not?

Why not let go of resentment, fear and anger and reach out to my sister with love? I realized that I had let fear rule our relationship for far too long. I became willing to stop blaming others for my behavior, and allowed the love to flow back into our lives. I reminded myself of the innocence, laughter and playfulness that bonded us together as children in the first place.

I wondered how all this was going to happen, though. Three weeks after making the decision to heal my relationship with Marci, Rebecca asked me to take Boo. Without hesitation and with a smile on her face, Marci agreed to board Boo, and that’s where we began to heal.

There are so many levels to this story. My beautiful mentor and friend knew she had to re-home her beloved Boo and she chose me to be his guardian which in itself is bittersweet.
And it was time to mend fences with my sister, a bond that can never really be broken, just bent. What better way is there than to bring a horse, an animal with an incredibly large heart, into my life to help mediate our relationship.

Through the horses, Marci and I found common ground. We returned to our innocence and learned to communicate with each other on a deeper and more meaningful level. The horses want us to feel love and understanding for each other and all of creation.

So, what does Jericho want for Christmas? He wants to give Marci his love and wants her to know he cherishes her for all time. He knows their relationship is loyal and strong and he would like her to use this gift to create strong bonds with all the others in her life, as well – both humans and animals alike.

Photo curtesy of Marci Faustini