August 9, 2005
HAWTHORNE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS:
Thanks so much to Joe Scurto and Ron Achman and all of the staff and horsemen and women at Hawthorne for hosting ASAP Inc., endorsing us, and showcasing Lake Hills Texas and Janimal. We had a wonderful time, and it was great to see so many of you there. I especially was thrilled to see Jim Eaton, who was eager to view Tex in the paddock, since he had not seen Tex since 1993 when I, myself, picked him up and brought him home. Jim thought Tex looked a bit older, and a bit more PLUMP (I don't like a skinny horse!)... and it was also great to have a chance to chat with Dirk Simpson and the former owner of Janimal who did a brief televised interview with me.
Scott Ehrlich came by to give a hug and I gave him a lock of Haiaku's tail as a keepsake in memory of one of the most heroic, courageous, and beautiful horses I have ever had the privilege of caring for. There were so many more at Hawthorne and it was nice to see you all! We look forward to seeing many more of you at Super Night at Balmoral next month.
We picked up four new Standardbreds this past weekend, and will have them listed shortly. All is well here at the farm and we are enjoying lots of sunshine.
Personally, my family and I face a challenge this week that I want you to be prayerful about. On Monday morning, my son Zachary who is 8 will undergo heart surgery at UW Childrens Hospital in Madison, WI. If this surgery is successful, my son will no longer have to take medications to regulate his heartbeat for the first time since he was born. We are, naturally, anxious and a bit fearful, but also trusting God for a perfect outcome.
All week long the only Bible verse that repeated itself in my mind was "Taste and see that the Lord is good, for His mercies endure forever." I thought and thought about this verse. In order to taste, you have to perform a willful act of bringing something to your mouth and experiencing it. Someone can force feed you, but in this case I believe it is a willful act that is purposeful. We must be willing to step outside of our comfort zone in order to taste the Lord's goodness.
Our family could decide not to go ahead and do this surgery, but it would only be delaying a procedure that must occur sometime down the road to heal Zachary of his heart rhythm problem. I feel as though we are pursuing this surgery and in doing so we are going to taste and experience the Lord's goodness and mercy. With faith and trust, we are proceeding to Madison and will see that the Lord is good and that his mercy does, in fact, endure forever. Please pray that, as parents, we can be strong for Zachary and also pray that Zach will have a peace of mind and heart on Monday morning. I will be sure to update you as soon as I am able to be back home, which may be as early as Tuesday!
God's goodness continues to fall upon the horses here in our care. It has been a great year for beautiful, healthy, happy horses! There are many waiting to come to our farm and many being adopted by people who understand and respect the policies of the program and support it entirely! We are so blessed to have good people coming forward to give these horses homes! I will be sure to write soon.
Thanks for your continued support.
Susan
