Beyond Jump the Moon

The rest of the story of Me Too and the Girl with the long blond hair was definitely a happily ever after.

Merilee Ventura, who introduced Denise to Me Too originally, had relocated her farm from Long Island to NC not too far from Denise.  That was the perfect place for Denise and Me Too to get reacquainted. They went back to Byway where it all started – just in a different state.

After a few months Denise found a barn close to home where she boarded Me Too.  She rearranged her work hours to take two hour lunches which allowed her to ride every day.  Me Too spent her days in a field feasting on a big round hay bale. She would eat her way into the bale and Denise often found her lounging in the middle of it. Of course, Denise always brought her her favorite treat – Mrs. Pasture’s Cookies.

When Denise was about to have her first child she knew she would not be able to get to that barn every day.  While we didn’t know the details of Me Too’s life we knew that she had not always been well treated. Denise worried about boarding her at a stable where she could not be there all the time to check on her. She decided to bring the pony to me in NY.

I enjoyed having Me Too in my backyard. She never trusted adults, but she was great with little kids. Any time kids came to visit me, they got to have their first pony experience on Me Too.  She was a wonderful patient teacher.   I knew I could trust her with a child. I know she loved it too.

Denise was not happy being so far away from her pony. She decided that I should move to NC so her pony could be closer.  I was not sure I could leave NY and move to NC, but Denise insisted. She found the perfect piece of property around the corner from her house, where Me Too could enjoy grassy fields with my little herd. Fortunately, it ended up being a good move for my husband & I as well.

Denise’s second child, Payton, was born loving horses. With her little pink britches and pink helmet, she always wanted to be on Me Too.  And so we had our next generation of riders start out on Me Too.

It was when Me Too was with me in NY that I was inspired to write Jump the Moon. I was mucking the stall and looking out at Me Too. I started to marvel at all the things that fell into place to get this pony here – from the heartbreak to the dreams to the search, the dead end and finally the phone call from Pat that led to the most amazing reunion. I put down the pitchfork, went into the house and wrote the original manuscript of Jump the Moon.

Me Too was part of our family for 9 years before she passed over the rainbow bridge.  She was one of a kind and she remains forever in our hearts. It is my joy to be able to share her story.

“Pat” A lesson from Jump the Moon

When you have a dream that seems impossible, it probably is. It’s something that you can’t do by yourself. You may need a team of people or you may need just one person to open the door or make a connection. Maybe you need a “Pat.”

As Denise followed the trail of who owned Me Too, it stalled when she got to Pat Myer. She had a name and the name of the road she lived on that was an hour away, but no phone number or farm name. It was freezing cold on New Year’s Day. Snow was everywhere, but we got into the truck and we set out to find Pat.  When we pulled onto her street there were horse farms all along the road, but which one was Pat’s? There was a woman standing in a driveway. We pulled in and said, “We’re looking for Pat Myer.”  She said, “I’m Pat Myer.”

She had sold the pony a few years before and had no idea where the people lived now. She went in the house and brought out the flyer that she used when she sold the pony. It was definitely Me Too. She was sorry she couldn’t be more help. We didn’t think we would ever hear from Pat again. We thought we had reached a dead end. Denise kept having dreams about Me Too.

Pat realized how much Denise loved that pony and how desperately she wanted to find her.  She decided to join the quest. We didn’t even know she was looking, but about 6 weeks later she called to say she found Me Too. It seemed impossible. Two weeks after that the reunion happened.  In Jump the Moon, Pat is the only person who has a name. She was the critical connection. Denise and Me Too would not have found each other had it not been for Pat.

When you have a really big dream that seems impossible, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with people. Someone will come along to open a door or make a connection. You will find your “Pat.”  But someday when you meet someone with a really big dream, you may have the opportunity to be their “Pat.”  You’ll get to see how rewarding it feels to have a part in making the impossible possible.

May all your dreams come true!