.....At 9:43pm EST, the last of approximately 13,000 people took the final carriage ride out with Madison and Wyatt as her trusty steed. Over the last 30 days with only Sunday being closed, a total of 2208 miles of memories were created under harness at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte North Carolina.
The familiar faces, the comraderie and the inside jokes still prevailed over any kind of weather that tried to dampen our spirits. The gratefulness of all of us for one another stood out. The daily prayers to keep us safe kept us motivated and inspired. God was faithful with our horses, loving with His Children (us) and those passengers who braved the rain and minus windchill to keep the Christmas tradition alive.
We laughed at Visions of Sugar Cookies dancing in our heads. Giggled at Embracing trees that hum. Felt the joy and sometimes sorrows with our passengers. All with an attitude of gratefulness and cheer. The warmth of our team rose above the weather when it was inclement.
The days and nights passed quickly. Between the clip clops of Jezebel, Wyatt, King, Musk, Boone, Moose, Motown, Gentry and Apple Jack who were so faithful to us in their understanding of their calling, the undertone of wisdom and experience made every passenger feel safe, happy and even celebrated at times.
What is it about combining a million Christmas Lights and bunch of horses and about 30 awesome people that makes it so amazing? Jesus of Course. You can' t keep light under a bushel as the scriptures say. Each jingle on those bells as we would bump along on our half mile route was something memorable to all whom were carried. The little ones who always cried out loud "horsies!" to the very old and feeble that we helped into the carriage made a great testimony of old family values and things that mattered the most. Time is short and life is fleeting..and if this the last carriage ride any of our passengers took, then we can be proud of the memory made for that person.
Just the horse, the driver, the carriage and our passengers. No cell phones, no tablet or iPads or digital images, no influencers, tik tok or Facebook. This experience transported everyone back to a simpler time where horses were the way of life as a means of transportation. Drivers turning an ear to their passengers, leaning over and spending quality time with those who cherished this experience for the first time or for the 22nd time. Drivers overhearing the next generation say, "Grandma, did you ever ride a horse?" And her smiling back and saying, "I used to ride horses when I was a little girl". And the younger generations having fun singing all the way. 13,000 conversations. 13,000 connections made; some new, some old but all of them real.
We had passengers from as far away as Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, France, Hawaii and others as close as 3 miles away.
None of this could be made possible without all that is stated above. But the thing that always stands out is the family who is the constant glue to this operation. Heidi with her good cheer made us laugh out loud and kept the lines moving, Miles on the stand a few times bringing his own flavor of comic relief while being super helpful and Madison's tireless spirit (even when she couldn't go on one more step) and lastly the most grateful for us all: Bridger. He lives up to his name with his crew. Bridging gaps when needed making it all run the way it should...and Cindy, the right hand that brings the balance when the balance is needed. Her expertise, warm spirit and get down to work ethic is next to none.
To be appreciated every day for what is going on is rare. To get prayed for everyday in addition to that is the crown jewel of workplace emotional safety.
Our world today is still quite a mess. But for just an instant and a blip in time, we got to escape life and live daily with bringing happiness to thousands of people --- with horses no less!
Our horses experienced the same comraderie as did. They worked in perfect unison in an order that was like a well oiled machine. Each making their own way with what came natural for them. And our leadership having enough experience to know how to make this happen.
Wyatt loves to be scratched, Moose typically sneezes three times after coming up the hill, Motown needs Wyatt closeby to stand still; Jezebel with her work ethic needs slowed down so she doesn't work too hard, Boone just as easy going but will snort at an umbrella on the ground, King with his beautiful high stepping like he is in a parade, Musk being turned out and taking off bucking after a hard night's work. Every one of these horses and their personalities were considered. Every harness carefully checked... they were the heroes being transported 100 miles a day back and forth from Charlotte.
"It's a wrap" we all yelled in unison. We all stood around a circle with a sense of pride and relief. Some of us with the feeling of "this went by so fast." Each of us hugged each other goodbye. Ringing in the air "Have a great year, Thank you all, Be safe out there" showing the love and compassion right down to the last moment.
You never know what one year can bring, or even the next ten minutes. But for a short period of time, as it has been for the last 22 years , the human celebration here was one of peace. The common thread was Jesus Christ laying in a manger and the promise of His Hope in our Father's Salvation through His Son.
Then as quietly as the season snuck up on all of us, we all dissipated into the chilly night on Dec. 23 around 10:45 pm. The stars were out, collective satisfaction was felt and our hearts were happy. O come Emmanual for a Savior is Born!!! Hallejulah, Amen!
See you next year!
