On this first morning of the new year, I sat down to write a letter of condolence to the family of . Doc, as I called him, was my horse vet for several years. He was in his upper 70s when I met him. He passed away on December 6 at the age of 85. He was a truly amazing, inspirational man. After writing the letter I realized how much he inspired me and if I could give you a little bit of him we would all be better for it. Here are some of the characteristics I saw in this man:

I am trying to figure out how to write this in a blog format. I try to keep these concise, with bullet points, an easy read and with you in mind. However, this morning my own letter brought me to tears. Maybe it will you too. I am going to share the hand written letter I have written to his family as I think it says it best. It shares a little bit of his story. Sorry for it’s length. By the way, I often write hand written letters. I encourage you to try it. Here is what I wrote:

*Dear Family of Dr. Heffernan,

I was very saddened to hear of Dr. Hefernan’s passing. Several people mentioned it to me because I often talked fondly of him. My friends and colleagues knew of my affinity for him.*

He was an inspiration. I’m not sure if I have ever met such a gentle soul. His compassionate spirit was evident the first time I met him. Previous vets were always in such a hurry. He would take his time to explain things to me, to hold my hand. He even once smelled my hay when I was worried about its quality. I told others about that, just that small gesture meant so much to me.

I must admit I was often worried for his safety. He always wanted to jump in and help when I had an unruly young horse. Once my ½ Andalusian, Freedom, tossed him into a mud puddle. I felt awful. Yet, I couldn’t quite convince him to let me handle my unruly horse. It’s a horse owner’s responsibility to train a horse for the safety of everyone. Yet Doc wanted to jump in and help.

His love of his profession shone through. Wow! Imagine still practicing your craft into your 80s. I’m inspired by this and hope the same for myself. To see a man in love with life and what he does until the end is very moving. If more people could follow their bliss like this the world would be a happier place.

His kindness and gentleness also inspired me. I aspire to be more empathetic. I am often just frustrated with people and animals when they misbehave. If I could absorb a few ounces of his gentle approach I would be a better person.

I often got to my farm after dark. One time one of my horses was bleeding profusely. I got Dr. Heffernan on the phone and he talked me through stopping the bleeding. It kept bleeding through the bandages. It was dark and he did not want to drive out to my farm, given his family’s concern for his safety. He came anyway. And, of course, I finally had the bleeding stopped by the time he arrived. I know you were concerned for his safety. Me too. Yet, he was doing what he loved and that is admirable. Once again, I hope to do the same when I age, no matter the risk. Yet, thank you, for putting up with clients like me. I know you were worried. I could continue to gush with my admiration and love for this wonderful man. My deepest condolences to you for your loss. The world will be a less charming place without him.

What will people say about you after you have left this world?