Eulogy for a Daughter

Nobody wants to have to say goodbye to their daughter, but sometimes God has other plans in store for our precious children.

Tammy was what I like to consider my horse whisperer. I have three children; one of them is a doctor, the other a baseball fan. Tammy however, was my quite child. As the three children were growing up, and my eldest took to healing people, and my youngest took to sports, Tammy had a penchant for animals.

I remember spending days at the humane society; children by nature often like animals, but Tammy was different. She would carefully examine all of the animals, then approach me very seriously, “Mom, we have to take this one home. It told me it was ours.” There was not a hint of sarcasm or silliness in our voice. Sometimes she would insist that we take two or three animals at a time.

Some she would state were long lost cousins, or brothers and sisters. If I did not agree to her terms, she would throw a fit in the car, crying, and telling me that we did something horribly wrong.

When animals were sick or hurting, Tammy always had a way to heal them and help them. She had a similar ability with people, coming up to them and giving them a hug out of the blue, when someone felt unhappy, or sad, or seemed to be having a bad day.

People were drawn to Tammy. She had a remarkable personality, and was a kind and loving children. Eventually, she took to horses and ponies. She asked for her first pony when she was 8, which was impractical at the time. Instead, I took her to the farm, and let her play with the horses there. It was then that we learned that horse therapy was a possibility. Tammy was ecstatic. She became drawn to horses, and asked to return as often as every weekend.

As she became older, she took her bike as often as possible to visit with the horses. Once she got to college she studied horse therapy, gradually getting her degree and becoming a horse therapist. Tammy had a gentle way with animals, and was a true artist. If there were anyone that could talk to animals and horses in particular, and truly understand them, I would say it was Tammy.

Tammy will truly be missed. We all regret the accident that resulted in our loss today. If there were some kind of horse therapy that could bring her back I am sure we would all jump on it. Tammy, I love you and will miss you. Thank you for enriching my life. I hope that you are resting and enjoying what you always called your “ponies in heaven.”