To my beloved spencer, the best pony anyone could ever wish for…he was worth his weight in gold and taught so many the true lessons of life…to buster, another wonderful pony who taught all who rode him how to be tough and stay on…to turner one of the sweetest dogs in the world who was taken away too early, as well as hoot, nosey, and cj. To Billy a great trainer with a great sense of humor…to uncle bill…i wish i could have met you…to my granparents who I knew too little about…
how I wish I had known that you were that darling little girl I knew on LI!
My grandparents and two stepfathers…
And various critters…
O-kay… I’ve tried no fewer than four times to copy this thread to Off Course, to no avail. Keep posting here, I guess… if I ever manage to get it moved, I’ll lock this copy.
KH I think I Understand, personally I think Grand Dads are what hold the Family together. Ever since mine died the family’s gone haywire. My grandmother has gone nuts by redecorating everything in her house, all the family members are constantly fighting, and well it just isn’t the same maybe it’s just me, but my grandaddy is what kept the family together.
Catherine
“Love is when your horsey cuddles with you even after you left him alone all day.”
~Unapproved Princess Clique~
That is so sad to hear.
Here is a virtual hug, and I will say a prayer for your grand daughter, who is in heaven taking a lesson from Emerson Burr. 
One of my best friend’s (from the barn I used to ride at) Dad died just Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. He left behind my friend (13), her older brother (16), and her younger brother (about 7 or 8), as well as his wife.
I was never told about the funeral until I passed the place today and recognized some of the cars. The sad part is that the girl has been with the barn for about 4 years now and only a few of her friends from the barn came.
I wish them peace and joy this holiday season.
I’m gonna do endurance! Now to get in shape for 50 miles of riding…!
I thought this would be a good topic, someone mentioned it on another thread and it got me thinking…
Holidays are supposed to be happy times… but I know many people think of them as times to remember loved ones who’ve passed on and are of course here with us in spirit.
Maybe if we all share the people who we think of most during the holidays, their memory will be a little brighter this year.
This includes pets, of course!
[This message has been edited by RumoursFollow (edited 12-05-2000).]
Well I’m crying now, thank you all very much.
OK. Here’s to Wicker and Farnsworth, my beloved cats who were killed by dogs last year. I feel very guilty that they were outside where the dogs could get them, even though I know how much they hated to be kept indoors and how desperately unhappy it made them.
Wicker was tough, an orange and white stray who found his way into my home. I thought was tough enough to protect himself from anything. He was always very shy, but loved being loved and was so grateful to be in a home.
Farnsworth had been a stray who became a barn cat, and I brought him home only eight months before he was killed, after he had surgery when a horse stepped on him and broke his hind leg. He was the most loving, gentle creature ever born on God’s Earth. He loved every one and every thing. He had no fear and was completely trusting. A very unusual cat indeed and I shall never forget him.
When he was killed my trainer Jo went to the shelter and picked out two kittens, saving two lives to honor him. I prayed that Farnsworth would give them some of his love, and he did. They too are sweet and loving animals.
I started looking at the horse bulletin boards in the days and weeks after Farnsworth was killed, because I was too distraught to work and needed a distraction. So he’s always close to me when I post.
[This message has been edited by Portia (edited 12-05-2000).]
Here’s to my roommate’s puppy Sid, who lost his battle with Parvo a few minutes ago. 
Here’s to sweet memories of my dear friend, my mare Whipsnake, who died in my arms January 14th 1981. You are always in my thoughts. To Choie, Whipsnake’s beloved daughter, who in 1995 had to be put down due to bone cancer, at the age of 22. I promised I’d always be there for you, you were always there for me. Wait for me at the gait, you’ll know when to expect me.
I miss my Grandma Brown…she was quite a remarkable lady…she was born in 1908 and died in 1999…I really wish she could have made it till 2000. I just think of all the history she lived through…she grew up on a farm in VA and they used horse & buggies. She liked to say that I got my love of horses from her.
I miss my first horse, P.C. who died of colic way too young (I think he was 6 or 7). I also miss my black lab, Ivy…who also died too young (I think 4 or 5).
I wish I’d had the opportunity to meet my fiance’s father who passed away a few years before I met John. From what I understand he was a lot like John.
Everyday I think of the families of the people who perished on September 11th. I think of how rough their Christmas will be without their loved ones. It hits close to home because my fiance is a firefighter…
MKB…
To Cody, the best horse I will ever have the honor of riding. He was off the track, where he was over-used and hurt. He had his quirks, and we had our battles, but we figured each other out and worked our way through the Greens, Regulars, AOs, and finally the AO jumpers. He never quit, and you had to watch him carefully, because he’d never let you know if something hurt, he’d just keep on jumping and never take a lame step. I finally had to sell him… can’t expect parents to fund graduate school and horses. Even then he helped me, as his new owner paid for much of my first year of graduate school. He taught me so many valuable things, including patience (more than I had anyway); how important it is to pick your battles wisely; and better yet, how important it is to avoid battles at all whenever possible. I can still remember the feeling of that last round we did together in a mini-prix, and I cried all the way home from the show because he wasn’t going to my home, but to a new one. He died 6 years ago. In his twenties, teaching kids the ropes in the childrens jumpers until the very end.
Also my Dad, who died several years ago. Not a horse person, he used to come to the shows and yell the only phrase he could remember our intructor saying – “More leg! More leg!” He was usually right.
Bennet, my grandmother has been doing th same thing too. Grandma and i have tried to hold the family together but it really only works if we’re both there. Now I’m in MD with my husband, the rest of the family is in FL, and they aren’t even getting together for Christmas. How sad is that, we’re from Argentina (meaning we’re really misplaced Italians), and nobody wants to do anything unless it’s at Grandma’s house, Grandma doesn’t want to do anything because she misses Grandpa, and I’m the only one that is not intimidated by her threats to beat me with a metal spatula, so I’m the only one that can talk her into planning a party.
And, yes, she has beaten people with that spatula. Even my uncle, who is two feet taller than she is. I’m the only one that has escaped the wrath of the spatula.
My Father passed away on Feb. 4/87 only 2 months after being diagnosed with both lunch and brain cancer.
My maternal Grandfather passed away on January 4/96 after suffering from cancer for 12 years.
This will by our first Christmas without our first cat, Kelly who had to be PTS on November 10, 2001 due to renal failure.
My family is over 4000 km’s away from us on the east coast however, my oldest sister is giving my niece and my mother a terrific Christmas present and I will have company in March for a week. I am so looking forward to this visit as it will be their first trip to Alberta. 
I have to say, the holidays are especially tough for me, due to my mom passing away 10 years ago. 10 years seems like such a long time but mother-loss is so tough.
Granted, I still have fun during this time and don’t let it get me too down but it’s just amazing how different things are without her. That is what sticks out like a sore thumb at this time for me. It’s a reminder that never goes away.
I feel very fortunate that both of my parents are still alive. I have lost all of my grandparents, but they all lived very long, happy lives and I’m sure they’re all playing bridge and drinking hi-balls somewhere right now I do miss the big family holiday thing at Grandma’s though
The person that I think about the most is actually someone I never had a chance to meet - my husband’s mother. She passed away from cancer when he was in college, before we met. I think I would give almost anything to have had the chance to know her. All of my husband’s family says that they were so much alike. In every picture I’ve ever seen of her, she is obviously so happy to be alive. Wherever she is right now, I would like to thank her for raising such a wonderful, loving, compassionate son. Thanks Mom . . .
Oh my. . .I don’t know what possessed me to look at this thread right before I need to take my daughter to the barn. I’ll be back later. It is a great thread though, Rumours. Thanks!
This holiday season should be interesting…My grandfather passed away on November 17th, and he truly was a remarkable man. He was the patriarch of our family, and it just won’t be the same.
Christmas has just not been the same since we lost Dad in 1986 and Mom in 1992. They were both wonderful people, loved by everyone, and yet completely ordinary folks who believed in family, a work ethic, and enjoying life.
To my wonderful golden collies, the dogs of my childhood whose coats dried many painful tears, and always made people stop and stare: 3 golden dogs following a gold horse. Gwen, the dog with a soul; Chica, eager to please & Bobby, beautiful clown.
To Kahu and Pharaoh, nearly identical Basenjis. Yodeler and Scolder extrordinare.
To my Russells: Random, first of many, beloved by me, hated by everyone else. Pounce, Pouncers, LaPetit - Always first in my in my heart. One in a million, I will have many other terriers, but never another like you. Lion, poisoned by what or who I’ll never know; Wrench, too sweet for your own safety, and Spider, victim of an austerity budget which didn’t allow for major surgery.
There will be many ghosts around the Christmas tree this year, but lots of smiling faces, too. I’ll take comfort and strength from the family, friends and canines around me and carry on.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> posted Dec. 05, 2000 04:45 PM
My Granny, 93 and gone this summer, who never thought she would outlive her son, my dad who died of a sudden heart attack 5 years ago.
The only show Granny ever came to see me in scared her so much she never could bear to watch again. (I took the top telephone pole off a drop jump at Bay Ridge when it was right outside of Clifton).
Daddy who promised me that if I could save enough money to buy a pony then he would pay to keep it for me. Thanks, Dad, Taffy is 30 now and getting creaky, she will join you soon.
Ron, died of AIDS years ago, I think of you every Christmas when I get that once a year holiday greeting from your “cousin”. I still love you both dearly.
Galley, the best little lady app pony ever, putting you down this spring was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. And lastly, Lillet, your death has ensured that your daughter, Maddie, will forever hold a very special place in the hearts of so many
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Taffy is gone now, and Pocket Change’s owner, my best friend, Sharon, died on Christmas Eve last year.
I am so grateful for the many good friends I have made throught the COTH BB. You have helped me get past these sad things and given me a raft of new people to care about.
