Our Prayer Vigil Last Night, 7/31

Last night's vigil (7/31/06)  for Barbaro will be a treasured memory for the rest of my life. We have been meeting, as a small group, nightly since the first real life vigil was held on 7/15/06. The room has been flooded with hope, prayers, tears and a great deal of love, not only for Barbaro, but between the members who meet each night to light a candle, discuss the recent updates concerning his progress, share some "tales" about our experiences with horses, laugh a little about the gifts that we have been sending to NBC, and  also to cement the bond that we have formed during this cautiously optimistic period of Barbaro's recovery. I imagine, if anyone could really enter the room, in reality one would find many burning candles, and the floor of the chatroom littered with damp tissues.

Since I have been feverishly updating my journal with news about "our" stellar horse, it is amazing to feel how very much a part of our lives is filled with thoughts about Barbaro each day. We run to Tim's site many times a day to catch any update, and pray that they will continue to reflect his slow but steady recovery.

But last night was different. Last night I was honored with an amazing gift from the group, thanking me for keeping this journal accessible and timely. While most of the entries that I have made, recently are devoted to Barbaro, the actual motivation for my creating this journal initially, was to make a safe and secure place for people who are grieving over a loss of a beloved pet, and for those who are dealing with pets who are seriously or terminally ill. While Barbaro cannot be considered a "pet," he has become part of us... as if we all are his owners, and our prayers are no different than if we were praying for a friend's beloved pet.

Last night will remain a very special memory for me. The gift that I was given was a picture of me atop Barbaro, flying free, being able to actually "breeze" this magnificent creature of God.

My dear friend, Rosi, created this wonderful graphic that I felt so moved to share here on my journal.



Graphic and Tag Created By M00NLTSNTA

I cannot thank this group enough for this incredible tribute and gift. I cannot thank this group enough for joining together each night for a ritual that will continue until such time that Barbaro is totally out of danger, and yes, we will continueto meet every night at 7:00 PM. ET, to say prayers and to share this amazing force of energy that we are pumping out to him together. Please do join us.

Barbaro Love Vigil