26 October, 2010

Goodbye Barbara

My friend, Anne-Louise Toner emailed me with the very sad news that Barbara Griffith died on Thursday. I am deeply saddened by the news and I have not been able to come to this blog to write how much of a loss Barbara's death is for the community of Egyptian Arabian Horse breeders.

Because of Barbara, there was an Imperial Egyptian Stud, which made the mere mention of the name “Maryland” sound like magic to me. Over the years, the Imperial horses created memories which I continue to cherish. Imperial afforded the opportunity to see in real life, Barbara's very focused breeding philosophy, which resulted in such magnificent horses. If it were not for Barbara Griffith, I would have never met any of these horses. If it were not for these horses, my dreams would not be as big. The possibilities would not be endless.

Barbara Griffith once said,
"There is something about working with horses that encourages one to dream.”
I have dreamed of horses for as long as my mind can remember. As a matter of fact, it seems that the one aspect of my life that has remained constant, has been the ability to dream about horses. Imperial was always the origin of my dreams, wishes, hopes..."the what-if's", the possibilities, the desires, the "if only's"....These dreams are my inspiration and encouragement, a bright light of hope in what often times appears to be a very dark and indifferent world to the beauty that is all around us.

Because of Barbara Griffith's generosity, I got to meet extraordinary horses, who have had a profound affect upon my life. I still cry when I think of the courage and inner fire of *Sonbolah, one of the bravest and most generous living beings that I have ever known in this life! It is her courage that inspired me to write about Barbara. I must! And then, Maar Bilahh, one of the kindest, most loving beings that has ever lived on this planet.

I wonder if Barbara knows the continuing influence that her dreams have upon the dreams of others? I wonder if she knew the impact that she would have on the lives of so many people...through the horses she loved. I am grateful for the life of Barbara Griffith and today, I remember the beautiful woman who made the name of Maryland sound like magic to me. For Maryland was the home of Imperial, the place where magic became very real in this world.


Goodnight Barbara. It was a real pleasure to know you in this world.

Ralph