When Moonlight Gives Way to Dawn
/When I am outside, I often find transitions in lighting magical. Sunrises and sunsets are of course the most common. The last few days, though, it’s been moonlight giving way to dawn. Temperatures have been well below zero Fahrenheit (-14 F or -25 C), so I’ve been out at 5:30 or 6 in the morning to feed the ponies. As a result, I’ve gotten to see the light of the half-moon giving way to the light of the rising sun. It has been magical watching my shadow change intensity and direction. And of course everywhere I go, I’m greeted by frosty noses!
The recent holidays have had their melancholy moments. I’ve heard from three long time Fell Pony breeders who are struggling with various effects of aging. Each of them has contributed significantly to my Fell Pony education over the years. It has been hard to hear of their health struggles. And it’s harder to think of our community without them.
When I am out feeding on these crunchy, cold mornings, I am amidst ponies whose pedigrees include ponies bred by the aging breeders who have given so much to me. I know it is inevitable that a day will come when they’re no longer with us. My moonlight-to-dawn mornings remind me, though, that there are always transitions, and usually where one light fails, another replaces it. And while the transition times can be difficult, they can also be magical. What a blessing.
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2018
More stories like this one can be found in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here.
