While I was in middle and high school, I owned, at the cost of one pick up truck and one thousand dollars, a horse named Apache. He was a beautiful paint horse with a classic coat of white, black and brown scattered across his back. He was 15 hands high and gelded to a easy going pace of life. But he was young and full of a good gallop. The gift of owning a horse, getting to know it, and experiencing the ride and the strength of a horse is priceless. To interact with a creature with that strength is something I'll never completely understand how it has impacted my life.
My first book about horses was by Walter Farley, The Black Stallion. Luck would have it, a movie would come out right about that time. It is a magnificent piece of cinematic art. Run- don't walk to that selection on your streaming device. But definitely read the book first. I never read much past Farley's first but I did move into a couple of Dick Francis's books which leaned more towards an adult audience. I never read Anna Sewell 's, Black Beauty and I believe I never will.
Fast forward about 20 years: movies began to notice stories of triumph by the underdog. Stories that would encourage the American soul began to appear. Enter Laura Hillenbrand to the landscape of the movie world via her amazing retellings of what I call her 'twin sisters ' on my shelf: Unbroken and Seabiscuit. I read the first which was written about 8 years after the magnificent tale of the horse named Seabiscuit. What I remember most is from the movie, so I am challenging myself to read her book. Unbroken I actually read from cover to cover, and now continue to share with any person who will read, giving often to high school graduates. It is riveting with detail that brings the story to life.
While my memories are from the movie, 'Seabiscuit,' I don't struggle with going backwards from movie to book. I believe the story of the owner, the rider, and the proverbial 'dark ' yet magnificent horse are what can inform the soul way beyond the movie viewing. The profundity of the time period, a period so devastating to the American landscape of culture and economy it is called 'The Great Depression.' All of my grandparents lived through it, so I can imagine the normal person with hopes and dreams being side-lined by events beyond their control. I would love to know what they knew about this horse or the story, because it was a headline everyone knew about, and every one could relate. The crash effected every American, and each player in this story felt the impact in their own unique way. I propose that reading about such an amazing story is an opportunity to reflect on the human heart and what hope and relationship can do to buoy up one from despairing.
Just as confidence is a memory of success, I believe hope begets hope. The muscles of our memory are stretched through experience and emotion. While every story does not directly shine a spotlight upon God's direct hand in our lives, calling Him by name, and putting HIS name in the movie credits-- I believe God is present in every event and every place and every story. Why do I say that? Some of the greatest stories of holy virtue or glory that can only descend through a faith heritage in Jehovah God never mention that faith. It is up to us the synthesize the layers and not to isolate the secular from the sacred. Gather it up, sift it out, stay in the Word. He is in every story, but it is up to us to return to the ultimate story of the ultimate Hope.
'...there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.'
Hebrews 7:19
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