Thursday, August 20, 2009

A Story of Healing

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine told me one of the sweetest stories I've heard in a long time. An old man at a local farm who was involved in the story shared it with her, and I decided it was worth sharing with all of you.

The old man works at the farm, giving pony rides to young kids. He's a very amiable guy, talking with the kids, playing and singing with them. He makes the rides fun.
One couple brought their little boy over for a pony ride. The little boy was about six or seven years old. The old man helped him onto the pony, talking to him the whole time. He asked him his name and other questions, but the boy didn't respond. The man kept talking to him anyway.
At one point the man started singing to the little boy and encouraged the boy to sing with him. After a few minutes the little boy did. He started interacting with this old man, singing and playing with him.
The parents were absolutely dumbfounded. When the man looked over at them they were literally just staring at him and their son with shock on their faces. Confused, the man went back to his job, still playing with the little boy. When the ride was over he helped the little boy down then went and talked to the parents.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
They shook their heads, "No. Nothing's wrong. Was he just singing with you?"
"Yes. Why?"
"He doesn't talk," they answered, still in awe. "He's never spoken a word in his life."
The old man felt chills run up his spine.
He told this story to my friend a week later and was still in awe over the whole experience. Horse and pony rides, he claims, are really good for people who are disabled. Somehow the animals help people heal.

I thought this story was absolutely amazing, but I'm sure it's not the only one out there. If any of you have stories of healing or amazing growth, whether they involve animals or not, we would love to hear them! Feel free to share your stories with us.

~Julianne

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