Let Go to Embrace
by Catherine Madera
A fond childhood memory includes my parents’ old record player. Dad loved musicians like Anne Murray and Pete Seeger and had a modest collection of records. I vividly remember pulling out the large vinyl discs, setting them on the turntable and lying on the yellow shag carpet of our home as they played. One song, originally recorded by Pete Seeger, still runs in my mind. Taken almost verbatim from Ecclesiastes and Solomon’s musings on life, the song Turn, Turn, Turn was later recorded by The Byrds and became an international bestseller. Even as a kid I remember feeling the depth and truth in that song. There is truly a “time for every purpose under heaven.” Sometimes we ride, sometimes we walk; there is a time to lead and a time to follow; a time to laugh, a time to cry. To experience a full and satisfying life we must lean into all of those times, engaging our whole being in each particular season.
Why is this on my mind this month? Well, after a wonderful season of editing this magazine I am handing the reins to another capable and passionate equestrian with a gift for words. It’s been grand contributing to the publication, but it’s time to embrace a new season in my life. Unfortunately, we must let go of what we have in order to embrace something else and that process is usually bittersweet. However, I’ll still be around and will likely show up in these pages from time to time. Thank you all for the encouraging emails you’ve written over the years and the ways you’ve shared your life with me when we met on the trail or at an event. Horse people are definitely some of the best people on earth!
Enjoy the magazine this month and get to know your new editor Kim Roe. Send her story ideas and thoughts to editor@nwhorsesource.com. And don’t forget to embrace this season; hopefully it includes lots of time with your horse.
Ride on!
Catherine Madera served as editor of the Northwest Horse Source for five years. She has written for numerous regional and national publications and is a contributing writer for Guideposts Magazine and the author of four equine-related books. She has two grown children and lives with her husband and three horses in Northwest Washington.