"ON WITH THE SHOW!  ... The Sunny Day ... Ron Hevener

    It was another sunny day in one of the most popular tourist spots in the United States.

   The air had a light, fresh feeling to it; as it does sometimes when summer is crossing into autumn and the trees are just beginning to flutter their leaves to the ground.

    As they did every morning, the kids hurried to finish their chores. Horses were fed, cows were milked, eggs were gathered and breakfast was shared together with Mom and Dad. Church had been the day before, and some were still thinking about it. Forgiveness, compassion, living responsibly and following your conscience ... It was a lot to master.

   From the white buildings of their farms, the kids walked out their gravel lanes past strong wooden fences they had painted as they do whenever needed. Down the road they walked, dressed in their bright shirts and blouses, black skirts and pants, carrying lunch boxes. It was time for school and their teacher was waiting.

   By now, many of you know the rest of the story. You know a young man pulled a truck up to the front door and came into the school with guns as twenty-seven Amish children, aged six to fifteen, sat there with their teacher and mothers who were visiting for the day. You've heard it on the news. You've seen the pictures of what has shaken the faith of people trying harder than anyone I know to be strong and fair in this world.

   These are my friends.

    I grew up among them, and, to me, they aren't strange; they aren't a curiosity. They are a treasure reassuring me that joy and truth and honest feelings are still alive in a very troubling world.

    I know there are some animal lovers who want to believe that farmers don't have sensitive feelings for their dogs or cows or horses ... for the many cats roaming their barns ... for the wildlife of their fields and ponds. I am here to tell you that anyone who thinks that just doesn't know farmers very well.

    I'd love to use their names here, so you could get to know them better. But, I can't do that, because they read the same publications you do and they like their privacy. Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. Farmers are just as interested as you are in the animals they raise. They just raise a lot more of them than the rest of us do. Because of that, they see a lot more than we do, too. Maybe they get used to things that happen in the animal world, and get a "thick skin" because of it. But, if you have ever seen a bottle-fed, orphaned lamb nestled in a box in the kitchen, or puppies cradled and fussed over by the kids, or horses brushed and their manes trimmed because "Don't you think it makes them feel nice?" ... Well, if you saw those things you would know better.

    And so, the kids went to school yesterday morning as they were supposed to. The man pulled up to the door, and – without conscience, forgiveness or compassion – he showed us what cruelty is all about.   

   There is a reason this column is called "On With The Show." There is a reason why everything about horses – from breeding and foaling, to working, raising and showing – is so important. That reason is "continuity of life." And, for many of us, horses are the only hands-on thing we have that connects us to all kinds of life and the phenomenal things we can understand about ourselves and our potential. We are far, far greater than we are ever taught or allowed to believe. No matter what happens to us, or around us; no matter how frightening or hopeless things appear to be, our horses do not see these things. They continue with life no matter what, as if to say – "Pick yourself up, my friend. You must take care of me. My foal is coming and I need you to be there.
I am doing my best for you. We must get on with the show."

    It's not easy for horse lovers to make sense of things that defy our sensibilities. It's not easy because we're among the most sensitive and caring people in the world. Yes, we can be "tough." We can be hateful and competitive. But, when you chip away the tartar from the teeth, there are some beautiful smiles underneath. Animal husbandry – that's what it's called when you raise and take care of animals – is the stewardship of life. It is the bringing forth of life; not taking it away.

   No matter what the experts say about it; no matter how they try to explain the massacre in that little, one-room schoolhouse, we know it isn't just one thing that sets off a killer. Uneasy as it makes us feel, we know it takes pressure to disconnect someone from life, from the very heart within themselves, and make them want to destroy the world around them.

   It's a simple question, not very complicated, but one can't help but wonder: Does anyone strike out so viciously if they feel truly loved and needed by a family, friends ... a horse?

   As the leaves fall from autumn trees along a lonely road to an empty schoolhouse in one of the most popular tourist spots in the United States, the answer must wait until another sunny day. 


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