I believe there are souls that enter our lives for various reasons when we need them shape the people we are. My friend Diane Shannon was one such soul. When I was in high school I was lucky enough to join her 4 H club. She was an educated imposing human with a big personality, full bodied booming laugh and salty vocabulary. She was the first adult who treated us like equals, Tough and Demanding but never demanding anything from us that she could not do herself. I hated being a kid, hated my childhood literally almost everything about it. Our weekly club riding practices literally kept me sane, or my version. She handled our practices much like a drill sergeant would elevating our riding and training skills far beyond those of other Clubs.
As I said she was the reason for my sanity. Diane's knowledge of horses and training supplied me with the background and the foundation for what ended up being 35 years of a horse training career. Later in my 20's I ran into Diane at the NRHA futurity in OKC and we went to dinner with some of my customers at what used to be Texanna Reds. She regaled them with tales of my youth and growing up and once again provided me with some much needed self esteem and sanity at the time.
I was fortunate enough a few years back to get the opportunity to tell her how much she meant to me. How much she shaped my personal and professional lives and how much I owed her for my success. I am going to spend some time tonight reflecting on our conversations, her big infectious laugh and just how much she influenced so many of us.
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