Sunrise ceremony for Laurel

Laurel Dedes was a longtime, much loved part of the model horse community. In her honor, Corina Roberts, the boss of Redbird Ranch, asked Grace and Skye to help her with a memorial service. Here is how that went.

Sunrise Ceremony for Laurel

 by Corina Roberts

The boss had asked for a sunrise ceremony.  

Everyone was ready.

Brilliant, glorious, immediately warm, the sun's light burst across the landscape. And the ceremony began.

"I want to thank you all for coming," the boss began. "When a beloved one leaves us, the remembrances, the gatherings, they are to show respect for the departed, but moreover, they are for healing. They are for the living, to let them mourn, and to let them have closure. To let the healing begin. I asked Grace and Skye to help us in remembering Laurel Dedes this morning."

"I asked the girls to saddle an Appaloosa, and an Arabian. Laurel owned a number of Arabian horses throughout her life, caring for them like royalty. Laurel was also a fan of a good Appaloosa; a horse with color, conformation, and stellar character."

"I asked the girls to use the saddles Laurel gave us shortly after Grace arrived. Laurel shipped us her finest show tack so that we would have something to start with; because when Grace arrived we owned a single western saddle. Laurel instructed me to return some of the tack as I was able to replace it with our own, but to keep these two saddles. Gifts to help us move forward."

"Laurel wasn't just generous to us. Generosity was a hallmark of her personality. She was fiercely loyal to her friends and family, and as one of those friends said, 'She was the best momma an animal could have.' She also had many dogs and cats throughout her life, and she had a special place in her heart for German Shepherds."

"The Arab mare is wearing a halter by Shandi Bech. Laurel was instrumental in connecting us with Shandi, and our friendship endures to this day as we mourn the loss of Laurel, remember her, and channel her fighting spirit into our own bellies as forge our way forward." The boss paused for a moment. Then, "Skye, whenever you are ready."

Grace continued around the arena as Skye brought out Precious.

"Precious was a gift from Laurel. I wanted to present her covered, and we only have one summer sheet, and it happens to be pink. Laurel had esophageal cancer, so the proper color would be purple. Ultimately, pneumonia took Laurel from us, as her body weakened from decades of battling for every day of her life."

"She did that battle with gracefulness, with candor, with immense courage, all the while caring for her family and her animals, all the while engaged in leadership roles in numerous model horse showing clubs. She was fierce. She was determined. She was her own woman, and she made her own path through this life, bold and yet gentle; a living example of the strength of compassion. It is our job now to carry on, and to embrace those life lessons that she taught us, not so much in words, but in the example she gave us all in the way that she lived."

Skye paused before hanging the halter and long line.

"You know, I thought this weekend, since everyone is either at Breyerfest or Equilocity or both, I'd do something silly...I mean no one's paying attention, so, I don't know, maybe ride around in my pajamas or something. It seems like there's been so much heavy stuff lately."

"I think you're right" Grace replied. "There has been a ton of heavy stuff. But this was meant to help give everyone some healing and some closure. Try to think of it like that."

"Can we plan something fun before the end of summer? Skye asked. "Or maybe right at the end of summer, when it's not so hot?"

"I think that's a great idea."

"Even if there's more chaos?"

"Yeah. For sure. Especially if there's more chaos."

Thank you, Grace, Skye and, especially, Corina. That was a perfect tribute to such a wonderful person. In her honor, I hope we can all find our way to a little bit of light-hearted chaos.