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Friday, November 26, 2010

Let There Be Light




I am not sure what the death certificate said, but Hank Williams died from alcoholism and addiction to pain medication. Minnie Pearl wrote about efforts to keep him away from liquor before he was to go on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry by locking him in his room. He was still able to get to the bottle and was quickly in a stupor. She put him in her car and drove around Nashville, hoping that the time and the ride would help sober him up.

She tried to get him to sing to focus his mind and suggested one of the best songs that he ever wrote.

"Come on Hank, Let's sing 'I Saw the Light'.

"No, no", he replied pitifully. "There ain't no light. There just ain't no light."

We are just beginning to touch the tip of the iceberg as to how much working horses can help kids with autism and heal the emotional scars from physical and sexual abuse. We have not even scratched the surface as to the use of horses in substance abuse treatment. Funding substance abuse treatment should be one of our top national priorities. Horses have taken men long ways throughout history. I suspect that with enough research we could learn how to use horses to take men away from the bottle.

No more darkness, no more night.

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