Some days are better than others. This one was not.

Perhaps some of you will remember that we put up a portable shelter for our mares earlier this summer. Maybe you will even recall how pleased we were to finally have provided shelter for them that would help them stay warm and dry during the winter, and give them some shade in the heat of the summer. On our reduced income it was quite a feat to pull off the purchase of this big ticket item so it really made us feel good that it was accomplished.

This morning started with a phone call from Alan, the man who owns the pasture where we keep our horses. A pretty fierce storm blew through last night and it seemed that somehow the shelter had decided to move from the mare's pasture into Favorito's (the cables used to attach it to the earth anchors had let go in the 40 - 50 mile an hour winds - not something that was supposed to happen). Our first concern was whether the horses were okay. Generally they don't take too well to large objects flying around in their homes. Horses will panic and go through barbed wire (something Sonata did in July when fireworks were set off too close to her pen - we were very lucky and she only had some minor cuts). Horses going through barbed wire can be a terrible thing.

Our first instinct was to go right down to the pasture but Deb had a doctor's appointment that shouldn't be put off. We spoke to a neighbor at the pasture and the horses appeared to be fine so we went to the doctor first. It was with a neurologist and we were hopeful that he may have found something that could move us closer to a diagnosis, but that was not the case.

Finally we arrived and were able to assess the damage. It was not pretty.

The shelter was completely destroyed.

We had no choice but to dismantle it and get it out of there before something else happened.

I started the job feeling incredibly discouraged. We'd worked so hard to make this happen and now it was gone. I couldn't see how we could ever pull it off again, and the need for shelter is even greater this year as we believe that we have a pregnant mare. Lots of sighing accompanied my pulling apart the tangled wreckage.

Being outside has always been a balm, and during my breaks I spent time watching the horses grazing peacefully. Sonata, our problem child, has suffered some kind of muscle injury to her hips and we've had to have the vet out twice in the past week. Today she was more comfortable and enjoying basking in the sun. The other horses also were content to hang close by, and Favorito practically hugged Deb when she brought him some feed and spent time acknowledging that he'd been through quite an ordeal.

Recently I have been working on recognizing all that we have to be grateful for in our lives. It is easy, when going through a rough stretch, to feel buried by all the challenges. Deb still is undiagnosed and not much better than when this thing first started back in May. There's never enough money and how to pay bills is a worry that has become a constant companion. We are still mouring the loss of Buddy and the ache flares up at the oddest of moments.

Yet, each day brings joy. Spike and Sadie have become the best of friends and spend their days romping and tussling and occasionally snuggling. I have a good job that allows me the flexibility to go through Deb's medical journey with her. My relationship with my parents has never been better and I cherish our closeness. We live in a beautiful part of the country where it easy to find solace and soul food out in nature. I am in a solid relationship with the person who is perfect for me, and we really enjoy the life that we have together.

Today, I was most grateful for the fact that our horses were unscathed. The shelter had caught on the fence between the two pastures. No-one panicked, no-one was hurt, and that makes us very, very lucky.

We will find a way to replace that shelter, and it will definitely be something that is much stronger. See, that's the other thing I've been practising. Having faith.