It has been 10 years now since the death of my Whispering Pine’s Jupiter…and let me tell you, life doesn’t get any easier. Whispering Pines’s Jupiter and I were the best of friends. So close that some people looked at our relationship as peculiar; odd even. I didn’t see it that way.
I would walk out through the dewy fields of grasses and pines that led me to the sounds of Whispering Pine’s stables. I would wake to the sounds of him calling me out saying “Laura, what are we going to do today? What adventures do you have planned for us?” And I would say, “we’re gonna run like the wind! We’re going to run all the way to Jupiter and leave all of our worries behind.” We were a team.
He was my only horse. I didn’t want any competition, really. I always felt that if I were to get him a friend he wouldn’t need me anymore. I still don’t think he really needed me as much as I needed him.
And boy do I need him still.
My ex-husband was an abusive alcoholic. One night he came back from the bar, and found me in the stables with Whispering Pines Jupiter. For no reason, he started to beat me, as he always did. Whispering Pines Jupiter reared up on his back legs, and in a jealous rage, kicked my husband in the chest. I was so torn as to what I should do. He was only trying to help me.
My husband ended up in critical condition, and suffered severe injuries, including a broken collar bone and broken ribs (as you can well imagine). After he recovered, he demanded that Whispering Pines Jupiter be shot, saying that he was a vicious horse. I called my equine veterinarian, and he stayed with me as we had a ceremony for Whispering Pines Jupiter. It was the hardest moment of my life, and I regret that decision every day. I ended up leaving my husband because I could never love a man that would deprive me of
my only happiness in life.
Now I am alone. Whispering Pines Jupiter still is with me to this very day. He quiets my thoughts at night, and soothes my soul with his gentle whispers that still ring in my ear to this very day.
I miss his soft lips licking the NutriCal out of my hands; his favorite treat. I miss our long, slow walks through the pines that seemed like they would never end. But they have.
Whispery…I still miss you. I will always love you.
Remember, I get the first ride!!!
Clickity Clacking all the way to Jupiter;
| Whispering Pine's Jupiter |
| Laura Groenewold |