Today’s photo is hot off the scanner. That’s Melinda and me, you bet. And the animal with us is a horse. Our horse. A 3 year-old filly by Table Run fresh off the racetrack. 
Yup, way back in 1991 we rented a farm on the Sammamish plateau and bought a horse. Melinda named her Sasha.
My horse trainer friend Tom, who brokered Sasha’s purchase for us, said a couple of funny things the day he delivered the horse. The first was said with a little more serious tone than the second. He told me that he hoped our friendship survived him bringing us a horse.
The second thing he said, punctuated by his big booming laugh, is something I’ve heard in reference to other purchases, like cars and boats. About the horse Tom said, “You can never tell your favorite day as a horse owner. The day you buy the horse or the day you sell it.”
Today’s Question: Have you ever made a purchase like that?
Andy Smallman 
Oh, yes. Those purchases resulted in my eventually having eleven of them. Yup, eleven horses. I have yet to sell one, though! Youngest daughter Molly has four of them now, and I have four. The others we’ve lost to old age. I remember our first horse, who recently passed away at the age of 33. She was a small grey Arabian mare who was sour and really didn’t like people due to her harsh treatment in her former home. The first time the vet came out he said two things to me : the first was “this horse has the worst attitude and ground manners I’ve ever seen. I don’t even want to know what you paid for her!” The second was said with a sigh as he slowly shook his head : “you’ll mortgage the house for these creatures.” The latter comment was true. But Mirage’s attitude changed completely; a year after we bought her she was a completely different horse…affectionate, trusting and completely safe to ride. She was also the smartest horse I’ve known, and a powerful reminder of how love transforms.