In Our Community, March-April 2002

Winter Days
by Colby Wingate

In the middle of last year's coldest weather, on New Year's Eve, I stopped to check on an elderly couple on our road. The husband is often sick, and his wife takes care of him.

That day I found the man alone at home. His wife had been in the hospital for several days. He needed groceries, help with their two horses, and someone with whom to talk.

I volunteered to feed the horses. For two weeks I went twice a day, and on several cold mornings thereafter. I came to look forward to this change in my daily routine, pulling on my overalls first thing in the morning and walking, or sometimes skiing, down the road.

The horses had a morning ritual, as did I. Hay first, then a handful of carrots and apples up by the house. I would walk back to the barn and put out more hay, grain and fresh water. When I rang a bell they would come running. Touching and talking to them, I took in the smell of the hay, manure, and frosty morning.

I still call on the coldest mornings to offer a little help. It is tough for the old man, but he has accepted every time, and I am grateful for the chance to feel useful and neighborly.

"Ultimately, education is about connecting with the universe, making our place in it. The more we connect, the bigger our lives and dreams." --Grace Llewellyn

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