RIP . Erica Heaven has Welcomed You Home

 Saturday afternoon 3 / 08 my answering machine had a message that Erica  (my favorite horse whom I love deeply ) was in physical distress and that she was dying .
I was told in the message by her owner J . that if I wanted to see Erica while she was still alive to head on over to the property and go to her stall.
I drove over there in the pouring rain w my dog Duke and tried my best to prepare myself for what Life on Life  terms was about to reveal to me .
When I got there I tied my dog Duke up outside the paddock in the pouring rain and went into her stall .
 
Erica was laying flat on her side in pain and when she saw that it was me she lifted her head and positioned herself up into a kneeling position and placed her head in my chest near my heart .
I held Erica in that embrace and gave her every ounce of Love that my heart had inside itself while doing my best to conceal my sorrowful emotions since I knew this might be the last time I saw Erica in this word .
I had spent my time  in the stall w Erica & her owners and there were a couple of times when it looked like she might pull though
 
Erica was a very pride full Tennessee Walker Horse
I know that she wanted me to remember her as the powerful Majestic Horse she always was because at one point she spent every ounce of her fleeting energy  to get up on her feet which she did .
when she did that  I took her head and placed it next to my heart ...
 
Erica fought the good fight for as long as she could , having become weak due to her efforts she went and laid down again on her side .
 
I stayed there for a little while longer and held her and tried my best to show my support to her owner J.
 
When I left , Erica was still alive and my leaving was due to the fact that my poor dog had been getting pelted out in the rain .
 
When I got home I was absolutely heartbroken .
 
Then a few hours later I received the news that Erica was gone .
 
My thoughts and emotions are flooding with all the memories of the time  we have spent together ...
I hope at some point that it might be possible for the waterworks to stop ….I didn't know I had that many tears inside of me 
 
My friendship w Erica is a bond of Love that I will hold dearly in my heart for all the days of my life .
 
 
 
Kenny

Man, I feel for you Kenny.
Suffering the loss of a loved one is the tuffest part of living.
Sorry to hear about Peanuts too James.
 
Sure good to know they were loved though.
It's hard to see so many animals that don't get that.

Aw sorry about that, horses are indeed majestic creatures.

Sorry for the loss of you friend.  RIP Erica. 

It is good that you got to see her one more time again.
 

You are a good man. What a loss. I am sorry, horses can be so special. I believe horses and other animals can see into the hidden, spiritual realm at times. I think that is the case in a situation like this. The Lord cares for all His creatures.
Did you know that when they had the big tsunami a few years ago in Indonesia that wiped out everything. I heard that before the water got there all the animals headed up to high ground, they stopped just above where the water reached. Dogs seem to know when an earthquake is coming. This horse you loved was likely comforting you because it knew what was happening and knew that everything was going to be OK... or more likely you comforted one another. Yeah... I believe that. Horses are REALLY smart and loyal.
Another horse story, Confederate general Bedford Forrest's horse hated Yankees. After the war between the states there is a story (in his biography) of his horse seeing a man in a blue uniform down the street... the horse charged the man... it probably wasn't funny at the time but I cannot help but chuckle now...
If you had a bond with a horse, you had a bond and you now have a loss. Pass it on, it is a fitting way to pay tribute to your loyal friend. Be a loyal friend to another.
Thinking of you.
 
Julien

spacey
Man, I feel for you Kenny.
Suffering the loss of a loved one is the tuffest part of living.
Sorry to hear about Peanuts too James.
 
Sure good to know they were loved though.
It's hard to see so many animals that don't get that.

Thank you spacey, 
Yes, suffering the loss of a loved one is pretty tough … I wish I had answers man...
I lost my younger brother the day Whitney died and Erica a few days ago
in both losses I have been left with the felling of not having gotten the opportunities to have done more things together …that feeling  must be a layer of grief  ...
 
thanks for the support , 
 
Kenny
 

sharke
Aw sorry about that, horses are indeed majestic creatures.

Hi sharke, 
Yes , horses are indeed majestic creatures ….
some people have said that a man needs to fall apart into little pieces so he can be put back together correctly 
it has been my personal experience to know that all the things in this world couldn't accomplish this goal including music in my life 
for me it is true that my time spent with Erica , Peanut , Shiloh and Zues has brought about a great amount of healing in my life ….
thank you , 
 
Kenny

What a beautiful narration of such a tender moment.
 
As heartwarmingly 'real' as it is sorrowful.
 
Let them tears flow old fella and don't stifle a single one, each one counts for something.
 
I found an old peom I wrote once about a local 'forest', basically the actual place the Winnie the Pooh stories originated from.  It's more of a heath than a forest, hence 'Erica' or heather, and every few season parts of it catch fire only to renew the following season.   Reading your post reminded me of being a young lad not being able to get my head round it all very well.
 
Erica now covers much of the ground,
Where back awhile only burnt sand, ash and stones would be found.
Meadows like pools in the places she surrounds.
And in her strong roots small creatures scurry around.

It seems so cruel now to think of you charred the same,
as once was that black and bleak plain.
But thinking on that seemingly dark place again,
is this not from where we as children once came?
 
Thank you for sharing and God bless you Kenny,
 
With much love and in fellowship!
 
Jon

Old55
Sorry for the loss of you friend.  RIP Erica. 

Thank you Old55
 

Shambler
Sorry for your loss Kenny, my thoughts are with you.

Thank you Shambler ….hey man I like your avatar 
 

spacealf
It is good that you got to see her one more time again.
 

Yes spacealf , I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with Erica one more time again ...
thanks
 

Rimshot
I wish you peace Kenny.  Your last moments with her were very touching.

Rimshot , I'm starting to feel a little peace about her passing …
 ….every moment i spent with Erica was touching…..we gave each other gifts 
 
thank you all  
 
Kenny

timidi
Kenny, If I'm not mistaken, you had a video of you singing the blues to Erika.
If so, I'd love to see it again. If I'm mistaken, I apologize.
Sorry for your loss. 

Hi Timothy ,
thank you for your condolences 
Yes , here it is  …I had the video unlisted …I just made it public again 
(oh btw …I lost 50 pounds since I did this vid )
 
Erica's Tennessee Walker Blues 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k37CL9j71W0 
 
Kenny
 
 

kennywtelejazz

timidi
Kenny, If I'm not mistaken, you had a video of you singing the blues to Erika.
If so, I'd love to see it again. If I'm mistaken, I apologize.
Sorry for your loss. 

Hi Timothy ,
thank you for your condolences 
Yes , here it is  …I had the video unlisted …I just made it public again 
(oh btw …I lost 50 pounds since I did this vid )
 
Erica's Tennessee Walker Blues 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k37CL9j71W0 
 
Kenny
 
 

That was lovely.
Really sorry for your loss, Kenny. 

Hi Guys, 
Loosing Erica was tough , even though she wasn't mine . I had the full blessing of her owner to spend as much time as I wanted to with her ,  and I did .
She was my everyday girl and I was unofficially referred to as Erica's boyfriend by the family ….
 
so many of you here have written nice words of support and I'm grateful to have been able to draw strength from reading them  
I apologize if I haven't shown the respect that is due to you by my not responding to each and every post …..
I have read every post on this thread many times and gained strength ….
when it comes to Erica and her passing …..I'm just having a hard time putting my thoughts and feelings into words ….
I wanted to jot this note to let you know that I'm grateful for all the support you have given me .. 
 
Kenny