It was Friday morning, the second day of camping in Shawnee National Forest. A group of 15 of us, plus four guides, were in the process of mounting horses for a four-hour expedition on horseback. Though I grew up with horses all my life, riding was not a big part of that experience.

Now Uncle John's family, my six children and a few friends were milling among the horses, trying to find the right horse for the right people. The younger children were matched with the calmer, more trustworthy ones, which were among the smaller horses. I loved watching the sparkle in Hosanna's eyes as I showed her which would be her horse.

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