Monday, April 09, 2007

A good weekend







We had a good, relaxing and religious weekend. The great happenings were: Good Friday, the riding test of Menno and his baptism during the Easter night Mass. About the riding test: he got a good grading although he was a little disappointed that he didn’t get between the five best (out of around forty children), but we told him that he only had two months riding lessons, and the other children at least a year. The funny thing is that the riding hall is called "Menno Maneezje". In the meantime I took some photos of a girl who was training her Frisian horse outside, and of course I also took pictures inside the riding hall. I find school riding or schooling one of the most beautiful things to watch, the horse responding to the subtle signs of the rider, both in harmony, the rithm, the beauty of the horse body. This girl did a good job and I sent her the pictures, wishing her to succeed Ankie van Grunsven, a famous school rider all over Europe (I don’t know about the world, but in Europe she belongs to the top three).
I have been horse riding myself for two periods in my life, as a student, and later when I lived in Leeuwarden. I stopped because I couldn’t overcome the sense of fear, especially in the box when caring for the animal or saddling him. Horses feel this, and it made me unfit to be a good rider. Nevertheless I love horses and find them beautiful, as long as I don’t have to ride them.
The Good Friday and the Easter Mass were really touching experiences, the atmosphere, the feelings, the sense of being adopted into the (w)holiness, the singing, it was like a bath. I can’t say more about it because of my knowledge that religious experiences are the same for any religious person so they will know what I mean, although they experience it in different forms. I hope understanding and Spirit will once be part of all people.

2 comments:

Evie said...

Congratulations to Menno for his accomplishment. Thanks for sharing some photos.

I agree that horses are beautiful animals. I've gone horseback riding a few times, but I'm not a skilled rider.

Robert said...

Great to see this all happening. Well done Menno.