Christmas For Erane Scully

I am filled with Christmas Spirit today. Long time friend and author Erane Scully is dying . She is comfortable as can be in a nursing facility, but, at 93, is frail and failing.(now with Leukemia) Erane has always loved horses. They have been a big part of her life. Actually, at age 13 her Mom took her to Poland in the summer of 1939 to spend the season at her uncles large horse ranch as reward for good school grades. Before they could travel home that week, Germany bombed Poland and the war was on. They could not get out by any method and that is when they were captured and taken to Siberia to a Russian labor camp until the war ended. Erane has written two books on her experience. Knowing this love of horses I called my good friend Diane Wlezien. Diane has miniature horses which are licensed as therapy animals. I prevailed upon her to bring one of the little horses to visit Erane in the Nursing Home. Diane had to regret as the cold, snowy and icy weather made it very difficult to get the horse in and out of trailer- plus she had no grant for this particular facility for her horses. Drat. But just this Wednesday, Diane called me. Weather this weekend was projected sunny and 40° ... and she had called the Nursing Home Administrator and gotten authority to bring the horse. TODAY Saturday- a GOLDEN day, as we visited Erane (having a rare good day) and wheeled her bundled out to meet her little visitor. She was elated and could not stop with the effusive thanks. Both pal Jan Bosman and I were deeply touched. A better Christmas we could not have given our dear friend. This was a very very happy day. BIG thanks to Diane and husband Mike for their gracious efforts to make this Christmas joyful for our dying old friend !