Copyright Š 2019 Jacquelyn Marston All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
ISBN 978-1-7330391-09
Follow Your Dreams Follow Your Heart Embrace the Magic All Around You
I’m Grace Harper and I m a foster kid. It’s not an easy life; I don’t recommend it. My little sister, Katie, is one of the bright spots, though. I love helping her learn to read. The other thing I love is my weekend job at a nearby horse farm. People say I’m horse-crazy, and I wouldn’t disagree. I learn everything I can about them. I’ve probably read almost every horse book ever written! I work at the horse farm in exchange for riding lessons. The moment I open the barn doors, the horses greet me with a chorus of nickers like a welcoming whisper that says Good morning. Now hurry up with our breakfast! I drop the hay and grain, turn the horses out, muck the stalls and sweep the aisles—a place for everything and everything in its place. The barn is neat as a pin.
The barn is a peaceful place in my not-so-peaceful life; It’s the horses’ forever-home, of course, and they make me feel like part of their family. I get the same feeling of belonging I get when Katie hugs me. And she’s the only family I have left.
When Mom gave us up, Katie and I were lucky to be kept together. But the other day I came home from school and Katie was gone. Just like that, no warning. I was so mad, sad really, that I picked up my foster mom’s favorite purple china plate and smashed it down on the kitchen table. Moving from place to place and home to home, I feel out of control and sometimes I do things like smash a plate. I want to live in a real home, a forever-home, and be part of a real forever-family. I know how important having a family is because I’ve lost mine now. Katie was all I had left. Today, my case manager Mrs. Miller is taking me to yet another not-forever-home. Looking out the windows, all I can see are cows. It’s like a TV stuck on the farm channel—about a farm with no horses! Where in the world is she taking me?
As we pull up to a house with a big front porch, Mrs. Miller reminds me again that I need to control my frustrations, that my acting out has consequences. I’m sure she’s going to tell them I don’t talk much, and she’s right about that. Why speak, no one is listening anyway. Walking toward us is a cowboy, or at least he looks like one. “You must be Grace,” the cowboy says, opening my door. “They call me Sarge.” Sarge is really tall. He has an OK smile, and he looks... sorta dusty. He seems nice, I guess. Sarge leads Mrs. Miller and me into the house. A woman named Sarah is serving lunch and—oh my Gosh! I’ve never seen so much food on a kitchen table. Food, food, and even more food. “Dig in, Grace,” says Sarge “Sarah made all this wonderful food, special for your arrival.” Sure she did, I think to myself. I eat a few bites to be polite.
Wow! Now I know what “homemade” really means. I can’t remember ever tasting anything so delicious. But I keep quiet. I wonder what’s going to happen next? Before I decide that I’m hungrier than I thought, Sarge says, “Come on, Grace, I’ll show you around the farm.”
Chickens scatter as Sarge leads me into an office in his barn. There’s a sleepy Calico cat on his desk. “Go ahead, you can pet her,” he says. “Her name’s Hannah. She’s a sweet girl.” “I’m not allowed to have pets,” I say, stroking Hannah’s fur. “I’m sorry to hear that, Grace,” says Sarge. “But it’s nice to hear your voice. Do you like animals?” Sarge asks. “I do, but foster kids know better than to get attached.” “I understand,” he says, “Hannah knows an animal lover when she sees one, Grace.” Hannah sits up and starts rubbing her face against my cheek. As I continued petting her, something on Sarge’s desk catches my eye.
“What’s this?” I ask, pointing to the glass bottle I’m curious about. “That?” says Sarge. “That’s an origami grasshopper a dear friend sent to me all the way from Africa. Her son found it washed up on a beach.” “I learned about origami in math class,” I say. “I even made an origami crane for an art project. But this grasshopper... I can’t imagine the patience it took to make all these folds. He’s beautiful.” “My friend’s son says he’s magic.” “Magic? How?” I ask. “Well, Grace, ya know, I’m not sure,” Sarge says, “if you discover his magic, though, you’re supposed to pass him on to someone else. Come with me, Grace, I’ve got somebody I think you’re gonna wanna meet.”
Sarge takes me to the pasture. It’s beautiful. Sarge looks around, he puts two fingers to his mouth, blows hard, and a piercing whistle fills the air. A horse comes running. He looks like the horse in The Black Stallion except for the white blaze down the front of his face. I step back. He stops short in front of me. snorting and pawing at the ground. Sarge calmly introduces us: “This is Captain,” says Sarge. “He’s your project, Grace.” Staring in disbelief, eyes wide open, I say, “What? My project?” Sarge whispers gently, “Mrs. Miller told me you love horses, Grace. You’re a rider; you know how to care for horses, feed ‘em and such. She also said you’ve probably read every book about horses ever written.” As Sarge walks away, I swear Captain is looking straight at me — sizing me up— no friendly bob of the head, no nickers. How am I ever going to help this horse?
“You are the perfect person to help this horse, Grace,” said a small voice. Startled, I look around: “Who said that?” It’s the grasshopper from the bottle. Right there on the fencepost: “I said it,” he proudly proclaims. “And you may call me Ojie.” “You ARE magic!” I say, fascinated but a little nervous, too. Ojie continues, “Sarge rescued Captain from a rancher who was treating him poorly. Captain doesn’t trust people now. You see the way he ran off when I showed up? He does that when he’s afraid. And he’s afraid almost all the time.” Ojie’s message touches my heart. I’m afraid most of the time, too. “This horse needs some manners. And some confidence in people,” Ojie says. “Like Sarge, and all the horse folks say, he needs a job.” “From what I’ve read, horses are herd animals,” I say. “Captain needs to be with other horses.” Ojie looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, “Ready for some magic, Grace?”
With a whirling breeze of sparkling dust Ojie begins to fold and unfold. When the dust settles, Grace and Ojie are donkeys! “You turned us into donkeys!” exclaims Grace. “Why not?” said Ojie. “We could be goats or even dogs, horses just need company.” Captain trots over to them. He sniffs them both, swinging his head to the side, nickering to them. “What did he say, Grace? Donkeys understand horse-speak.” I trot along next to Captain. “he says he’s lonely and afraid.” With a little donkey kick, I called out, “Hey Captain we’ll follow you, let’s explore your new home together.”
The three new friends trot off. “ I’m thirsty,” I tell them. “Look there’s a stream here, let’s get a drink.” Ojie and I splash in the clear water. Looking up we see that Captain is still standing at the edge of the stream. “Come on in, Captain,” says Grace playfully. Captain is backing up. “I’m afraid,” he nickers. “It looks like a dark hole.” “It’s only a reflection, put your front feet in.” Captain moved forward into the water. “It’s nice and cool” he nickers. “Taste it. It’s delicious,” Not only does the big guy drink, but he starts splashing the water with his hoof. “He-Haw, He-Haw,” Ojie is loving the sound of his donkey voice. “Come on, you two. I’ll race you back. I’ll remain a donkey and keep Captain company Grace, but you must become a girl again. Remember your project.”
Ojie’s sparkling magic fills the air like a thousand fireflies, and I am sitting on the fence. Captain shies when he sees me and quickly runs off. “This will take time and patience, Grace,” Ojie says as he catches up to me. “He’ll come around. A horse’s story is in his eyes, and Captain’s eyes are kind. I think Captain would respond to a training technique called the Join-Up. Have you ever heard of it?” “I think I read about it once but I’m not sure I understood it. “A horse trainer developed the Join-Up after spending a lot of time studying horses in the wild. What he discovered is like lightning in a bottle.”
Ojie continued, “Traditionally the taming of wild horses was called breaking them. We don’t want horses — or people for that matter — to have their spirits broken. The trainer was determined to find a better way. By watching wild horses he learned exactly how the leader gains respect and trust from the herd. You will know you have Captain’s trust when he comes to you, head lowered, licking and chewing as a sign of the Join-Up. Captain will get his confidence from you, Grace. You need to become his leader. Trust is an important part of the training. Now you’ll see it come into play. Are you ready, Grace?”
I put a carrot in the palm of my flattened hand and offer it to Captain. I hold my hand steady as the soft muzzle of Captain’s mouth is cautiously accepting the treat. I gently scratch his neck, greeting him the way horses greet each other. I whisper, “You and I are the same Captain. We need a forever-home.” As I offer another treat to Captain, I click the lead rope onto his halter and gently command “walk on,” asking him to follow me. I lead Captain to the round pen. While he explores his new surroundings, I Google ‘The Join-Up”and watch a demonstration video— all the while thinking, I hope I can do this.
Ojie trots close to me on his short donkey legs. He coaches me, “Make him go out and away from you. Raise your arms, and fan your fingers to keep him moving in the circle around you. Captain’s circles will start getting smaller and closer to you. Next, turn your back to him, and walk toward the center of the ring. You are asking him to follow you — to trust you,” I complete the Join-Up steps, turning away from Captain as I walk toward the center of the ring. Will he follow me?
My first few tries are not going perfectly, and Ojie sees my frustration returning. “I keep turning my back on him, hoping he will follow me — but he won’t Join-Up.” My eyes are tearing, and for the first time I speak the question that haunts me “Is anyone ever going to want me?” The sparkling dust falls on my shoulders, Ojie is back on the fence post. “Well, for starters, people like Sarge see the real you, and Mrs. Miller never gives up on you. Family is not only the people you were born to, but the people in your life who truly care about you. Remember what I said about a horse’s story being in his eyes? Same goes for people, Grace. Oh, and one more thing,” he added. “I think you might have spoken too soon…”
I hear the nicker I love behind me and there is Captain. “Oh my gosh, I did it. Captain is Joining-Up!” The feelings I have are hard to put into words. “You’re one of the lucky ones Grace. Your close bond with Captain is part of the magic all around you, and it is hard to understand. It turns out horse-crazy — is not so crazy after all.” “I can’t wait to tell Sarge that I finished my project.” Ojie smiled, “It’s not the end Grace — not by a long shot. There’s so much more for Captain — and for you.” I whisper, “Welcome to your forever-home Captain, everything we need has always been here, waiting inside us.”
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015 the United Nations announced a 15 year program to bring together initiatives from all over the world In 2015 thetoUnited Nations announced 15 yearTo program to bring initiatives from allGoals over the that strive change our planet for thea better. learn about thetogether Sustainable Development visitworld that strive to change our planet for the better. To learn about the Sustainable Development Goals visit https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org A great place to find an initiative for you to join is to check-out partners associated with the Sustainable A great place Goals. to findThere an initiative for you to 4,000 join is to check-out partners associated with the Sustainable Development are already over initiatives listed here for you to browse: Development Goals. There are already over 4,000 initiatives listed here for you to browse: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/browse/ https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/browse/ Ojie and Grace’s story in “Finding Grace” resonates with Sustainable Develop Goal 15, Life On Land. The targets OjieSDG and Grace’s story in “Finding Grace” resonates with Sustainable Develop 15, Lifewetlands, On Land. The targets for 15 include ensuring the conservation, restoration and sustainable useGoal of forests, mountains for SDG 15 include ensuring the conservation, and sustainable use preventing of forests, the wetlands, mountains and drylands, halting deforestation, combatingrestoration desertification, protecting and extinction of and drylands, halting deforestation, combating desertification, protecting and preventing the extinction of and threatened species, and taking urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora threatened species, and taking urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna. fauna. To learn more about SDG 15 visit: To learn more about SDG 15 visit: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-15-life-on-land.html https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-15-life-on-land.html https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg15 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg15 https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030-goal15.html https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030-goal15.html
DID YOU KNOW...? More Facts About Horses Horses are plant eaters, herbivores, and have the largest eyes of any land animal. Their eyes are on the side of their heads. They can see nearly 360 degrees at a time. The average llifespan for a horse is 25 years, but a horse called Old Billy lived to be 62 years old. A horse’s height is not measured in feet, it is measured in hands. A hand is 4 and one-half inches, and a horse that is less than 14.2 hands high is a pony. Horses can run shortly after birth and adults gallop at 27 miles per hour. When galloping all four of the horses feet are off the ground in the middle of each satride. The fastest gallop ever recorded was 55 miles per hour. A male horse is called a stallion, and a young male is called a colt. A female horse is called a mare and a young female is called a filly. A newborn is a fowl. Horses partner with humans for many very important tasks. They carried settlers across unexplored territory in America, they carried soldiers into battle, and hundreds of horses are used by police forces around the world. Larger breeds of horses called draft horses have been plowing fields for generations of farmers and are still used for that purpose today. Riders who compete on horseback are called equestrians, and they compete in many ways (called disciplines). Horses can be Jumpers, Driving horses, Dressage horses, Reining horses, and more. Riders choose specific breeds of horses that are best suited for each riding style. For more information about horses, check out Ride TV Unbridled or Total Horse Channel equestrian TV.
Grace Harper finds herself headed to her fourth foster home. She has been acting out after her little sister is adopted and she is left behind.
Her social worker places her at a ranch with a kindly cowboy named S arge who takes G race under his wing . S arge introduces Grace to Captain, a horse he has rescued. Sarge tells Grace, who adores horses, that getting Captain to trust people again is her project. Ojie comes to life and teaches grace that not only is she up to the task, she and the horse will share a common bond that will change both of their lives.