Saying goodbye is the hardest thing....

It was fourteen years ago this October when I first saw you. Small and puny, you lay on my lap, big eyes so trusting, nuzzling my hand and blinking in the lantern light. You were so small and so beautiful, your long legs scrabbling , trying so hard to stand and to face your new life. It was love at first sight as I marveled at your perfection and I thanked your mother for this wonderful gift of life that she had given me.

I watched you grow - from gangly baby to cheeky youngster and slowly into responsible adulthood. I marveled at your exquisite beauty and your delicate frame. I admired your strength and your gentleness. I watched my child fall in love with you too as I watched you take care of her and teach her so much. I watched you both play and I watched you both work and I saw a bond between you that needed no words to express.

Sadly I watched as she grew and you stayed the same until the time came for her to move on. Still she loved you and cared for you but it wasn't quite the same. New passions came into her life, new challenges and you were just too small to keep up but we never stopped loving you and spending time with you, the relationship changed but the bond was still there.

Now it is time for both of you to move on. We are leaving and you have to stay behind. I know you'll be loved in your new home by another child and they have promised to give you a home for life. Even though I know I have done everything I can to make sure you'll be safe and cared for my heart is breaking.

Goodbye my loyal friend, my special pony. We will miss you so much.