Remembering Patrick Swayze

I am sad at the passing of Patrick Swayze.  His movies are watched over and over in our house.  Ghost and Dirty Dancing were certainly favorites.  The first time I ever saw Patrick Swayze was in the TV series North and South.  He just stood out in that epic series.  Three years after this TV epic, my daughter Emily and I had a brief encounter with Patrick Swayze.

Emily was in sixth grade.  I took her out of school to spend a day at the Kentucky Horse Park.  We went to the Egyptian Extravaganza.  For you non horse readers, this is a major Arabian Horse Event.  There were several of us that went to this horse show and one friend was an outstanding horsewoman from Germany.  She had many connections in the Arabian horse world and this was a chance to see many beautiful horses. 

As we sat in on one of the Arabian halter classes, Emily nudges me and says, "isn't that Patrick Swayze down there?"  Sure enough it was.  My German friend was also having a lot to say, but in German.  I thought she might also have recognized Patrick Swayze showing a young horse.  No, she was looking at the same person Emily and I were watching, but she was upset that this man was in a show ring with gum in his mouth!  I said, "but that is Patrick Swayze!".   Did not matter to her who he was, he was chewing gum and that was unacceptable in the show ring.  At least she thought so.   By the way, Patrick won the class.

He was an avid horseman.  I remember seeing a poster of him and a beautiful horse standing in front of him.  Patrick's arms were outstretched, going from head to tail of the horse, profile of Patrick's face.  Oh, and he also had his shirt off........   a beautiful picture of man and horse.

We saw Patrick throughout the day at this event.  People didn't bother him, he was just like the rest of us, enjoying horses.  That evening a special Egyptian Stallion parade was the last event of the day.  Patrick Swayze pranced along side this beautiful stallion, making the horse strut his stuff.  After he finished showing this stallion, Patrick made an exit at the gate were were watching from.  As he passed us he stopped and talked to several people.  I got Emily to go near him so I could take their picture together, he was kind enough to shake her hand and talk with her while I took a video picture.  He truly was very kind and respectful of this shy little girl.  It was a moment we both will always remember with a smile.

I am glad he is free of pain now and I am sure he is somewhere riding a beautiful Arabian horse.  His light will shine on in our hearts.