Horses again.

[Guest guest]

I remembered once reading about time distortion for nursing home patients.

If the visitor will - sit- and talk, or -sit- and hold hands with the patient,

the time of the visit is subjectively lengthened. In the article that I read, I

believe that a visitor sitting and sharing 5 minutes of time, was subjectively

considered by the patent to have been there much longer than a visitor doing a

standing visit ... even for much longer standing periods, as 20 minutes.

I made it a point to have our county nurse sit a few minutes, when possible,

with my mother. Also I often had the Home Health Aid sit and talk with her,

perhaps do her fingernails. I wasn't so concerned with trying to getting the

home health aid's cleaning help, rather just a few minutes of different

company, and a few minutes of me being able to go outside and refresh my

perspective.

There was a period when my mothers' halucinations frequently involved horses.

What worked best was when I pastured our horses just below the front lawn in our

pond pasture. On good days, we would roll out of the house with her wheel

chair, next to the pasture fence where she could pet them. On lewy days, I would

feed some grain up by the fence so mom could see them easily out the window.

Like wise I was able to bring into her presence, some real critters like Buddy

the Cat, a parakeet, gold fish, that she had halucinations about. Contact with

real animals seemed to quiet the halucinations.

Below is a short horse story that I didn't remember reading this Horse Story

before. so maybe it is old enough or new enough that you haven't either. It is

short. Enjoy.

Dann

Rope Maker

, Iowa

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a

distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your

car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking

into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen

not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is

amazing.

If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell.

Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the

smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small

bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can

follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse

with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse

will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is,

trusting that he will not be led astray. When the horse with the bell

returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally

and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to

hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just

because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He

watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in

need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little

ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide

horse, helping others to find their way.

Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know

they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

And remember... be kinder than necessary - everyone you meet is

fighting some kind of battle