There was a horse that frolicked in the fields all day. When he got tired or hungry, he would walk to the big apple tree that stood by the creek. He would grab an apple and lay down in the shade of the tree. He grew up with that tree and he loved that tree.

He thought the tree would always be there.

But late one afternoon, as the horse sat under the tree, a terrible storm came to the farm. It came so fast that the horse was caught off guard and had to stay under the tree for shelter.

But as the winds roared, the rains poured , the thunder rolled and the lightning stuck, the horse was feeling uneasy.

Then the tree was struck by lightning. As it caught fire, sparks flew down and the horse’s mane caught on fire. He ran out into the rain to save his mane and ran to the barn as fast as he could.

As he stayed in the barn, he started thinking how could the tree do this to him? He had spent a lifetime with that tree. Why would the tree hurt him so?

He spent several days in the barn. Depressed and anxious about going back into the fields. But as the days went by, he became lonely, and his belly started grumbling.

He took a few tentative steps into the field and he wondered if he would ever be okay again. Would he always feel this way?

He looked back at the barn and started to wonder if he could really trust it, even as it had never given him a reason not to.

Days went by and he started to heal and he would sometimes look at where the charred remains of the tree stood.

Sometimes he missed the tree. Sometimes he missed the apples and the shade.

But as each day passed, he grew more into who he was meant to be. He grew stronger, he grew healthier, and he found the true love and happiness that was inside of him.

He looked at the barn and smiled, because he even learned to trust again.