I’m one of the honored few. Our horse Tuxedo greets me regularly the way trusting horses meet one another: by coming nose-to-nose, breathing in each other’s breath. It takes trust, especially for a human being: one push of his head against my face could knock me silly. But it’s trust on his part, too – an affirmation of kinship that has nothing to do with dominance.

Animals know a lot more than many human beings do. Some new friends of ours came to our property today especially to meet our horses. The wife carries a portable oxygen tank and does very well with it. When she came close to our other horse, Gunner (my special guy), he rested his nose on her chest, as if he knew her need for healing in her lungs. It was a God moment for all four of us human beings.

When we steward our relationships with others, we begin by paying attention, listening, watching and learning. And when the animals we care for are teaching us, there is a lot of compassion to learn.

Your partner in ministry,

Betsy Schwarzentraub