This contemporary, uplifting drama begins as a majestic Arab horse ridden by Maurice R. Johnson awaits the beginning of the 4th of July Parade. Unknown to many of the waiting spectators, Johnson is blind and will be guided from behind by radio link with Gus Meeker, an old cowboy and philosopher poet.
In the crowd is Sally Barringer, a local newspaper reporter, who has recently had an ongoing telephone romance with a "Ream" Johnson whom she has yet to meet. Unknown to Sally, Ream Johnson and the blind rider are the same man.
As the parade is about to start, and with this tense yet courageous beginning, the story flashes back to a year previous when "a freak ricochet bullet during a convenience store holdup not only shattered the optic nerve of Ream Johnson, who was an innocent bystander, but also demolished his spirit.
Some never recoup from a fragmented and mangled spirit. Others become more from the experience, because no one is really complete until they deal with an infirmity which is bigger than they are. Those unique souls have scrutinized all of existence to decipher their dilemma, because for them to understand their plight is also to be freed from it."
At the Rehab Unit Ream meets Bob Howard, a professor of comparative religion at the University, who provides sage advice, "One must follow their deepest sense of being, doing and becoming what is born out of that being. When you follow that, all kinds of things jump out of life to help. There is something about the integrity of such a life which draws inspiration and grace from the heavens."
Ream moves to
Sedona, Arizona, famous for its red rocks, Indian folklore and spiritual
diversity, where he meets Gus Meeker and his extraordinary Arab horse,
Bert. Ream is taught to master an intuitive touch of riding to release
a horse, not man-handle it. Gus relates, "Don't
expect it to make a lot of sense as I tell it to you, but it will when
you do it. You must express it with your hands through the lead rope. This
Principle is the most valuable insight I have ever learned about
horses, people and life.
(Photo Copyright by Bob Bradshaw)
The Principle
is universal because in
every living creature there is a dignity, and the spirit to be free, and
one other thing I will tell you about later.... As he led Bert, using the
Principle, Ream sensed the fragile connection he had made with the
horse. It was almost mystical. Bert's trust had the innocence of a five
day old puppy opening its eyes for the first time."
During the same period Johnson accidentally meets Sally over the phone. Ream decides not to discuss his blindness because he doesn't want pity and never expects to meet Sally. Their phone conversations, however, ignite something more.
Ream reports the unique conversations to Bob Howard who questions, "looks like you're back to the root question in life. What should one fall in love with? I wonder what a blind man falls in love with? Is there a path through the maze which is clearer for him? Is there a homing device inside him which is more accessible? That's why I am keenly interested in what you are experiencing."
As Ream learns to ride Bert, Gus Meeker relates to Johnson's dismembered spirit as he himself suffered immense trauma in the war, and accomplishes what ministers and psychologists couldn't. Meeker becomes a cowboy who mends a man.
In a compelling, suspenseful climax all of the events and characters are dramatically unmasked and collide as the treasured horse, Bert, is jeopardized. How Sally and Ream find their Golden Moment, and in what form, is a unique and substantial insight into life, living, and loving.
Copyright by Jim Oakley