“The Epic of Earl” Autumn Whitehorse On this journey called life, we all have so many experiences that make us feel pain, sadness, joy, happiness, anger, and so much more. There is no “How To” book with instructions for how we should live our lives. We search for ways to be remember and be remembered. An important part of my journey began with the sudden and unexpected passing of my father, Earl Whitehorse. This loss left me struggling with pain, sadness, and loneliness that I am still working through. In 1995 my mother, Virginia, thought she had the flu but found out she was pregnant with me instead. When October rolled around, my mother gave birth to me, and my father named me Autumn for the season and Eve for the time of day. Through the years, my siblings and I looked to him as if he was a superhero because he would do everything in his willpower to give us the best lives we could have. He was kind, helpful, and very unselfish. He showed us how to love by how he treated our mother and us, to continuously help others through kindness, and so much more. There are so many stories that I could. I know I was my dad’s baby. He called me that every day of my life, through a text message or in a birthday cards, and I felt special. I was born 8 years after my sister and the age difference made it difficult to live up to my siblings because I grew up in a different era than they did. My parents raised us all to be athletic, playing basketball, football, volleyball, baseball and softball. But growing up, I always felt just average at playing sports compared to my siblings. But my mom told me not compare myself to them and to be myself—which was not easy to do. But one day I realized my own calling. I was about 6 years old when I went to the Shonto Rodeo. I fell in love with barrel racing and fast horses, and my interest in rodeo began that day. I began by using my cousin Jeffery’s horses. Then seeing my passion for rodeo, my father bought me my first horse named Babe. We got along well, and she was a great horse to learn from because she was gentle and followed my commands. But eventually, 82
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Native Voices and Visions
