Spurrin' Life in the Belly (From "A WalkThrough Grief")

Melange of boots and spurs - from the Loveland, Colorado
Cowboy Collectibles Show & Auction, June, 1998

Whoa there pardner! What the heck kinda title is that for a post on a blog about walking through grief of the death of your mother?

I think it is a pretty good one. When you lose a loved one, your own mortality stares you in the face. You sift through things that you thought were valuable both in the physical and the unseen realm. I have been doing that sifting.

Time is short. It's almost half over for me, so I figure I can decide to keep living the way I have or I can choose to kick it up a notch and really live.

I have a horse who is lazy. He needs a little spurring now and then or else he chooses to just meander through life and let it all happen around him. I guess that's an ok way to be... laid back and lazy. But I want more. So, since this is the beginning of a new year I am going to set out a few goals, starting with spurrin' my life in the belly.

I want to figure out how to deal a final blow to my tendency to enable. I also want to finish the book "What's so Amazing about Grace". I need to learn to accept more of God's grace.

Strength and mercy. Judgment and Grace. I want to develop a soft hand and a firm heel this year.

Gonna do the same with my horses too. I have a pair of real life spurs that I will be wearing more often. Motivation. I also have a new set of nice long reins I bought from that Amish guy last summer. Loose reins and soft hands for my horses. Grace.

So if you see me in the grocery store looking out of place wearing my spurs, cheer me on.