GATHERING COURAGE by: T.A. McMullin

Why do some people find success despite hardships and 

others sink into a pit of despair?

Gathering Courage: A Life-Changing Journey through Adoption, Adversity, and a Reading Disability by T.A. “Terry” McMullin is the author’s incredible, award-winning memoir meant to inspire hope and encouragement to those who are going through tough times.

Terry dusted off the hurt from abandonment, rejection by her adoptive parents, dyslexia, shock of placement in a foster home, and a life-altering accident. Her faith and tenacity along with the internal desire to overcome is thought provoking as Terry worked her way through Texas A&M University. Terry’s life transformed from a broken-hearted child who could barely make out words in elementary school to a distinguished educator and writer who encourages young people to work hard and achieve their greatest aspirations.

Any reader who loves a true story with a Christian focus should definitely read this book. Learn about the special love for rescued animals and how they played a part in healing hurts and encouraging success.

Prologue Part I

THE DUST ROSE UP from the dimly lit arena floor as the sounds of horses filled the air. I stood next to the holding pen as they crowded through the open gate to run at full speed on the arena floor. The horses circled, snorting and bucking, making their presence known. This was a big event for these beautiful horses at the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. Their story was going to be told across the nation with the filming of a special program by National Geographic Wild. It would focus on the mustangs, their inheritance, and the transformation of a wild mustang into a fully broke horse. I watched in total amazement as the arena lights intensified to a full brightness, revealing the cameras set up in the stands. The spectators rose to their feet as the mustangs gathered together after their grand entrance. We all knew this would be a remarkable performance.

The wild horse of the North American plains holds a special place in my heart. In their native habitat, these mustangs had to find their own food, seek shelter from the rain, and always on alert to the dangers found in the wild. Freely roaming on open range only a few months before, they had been rescued, adopted, and given only one hundred and twenty days of training prior to the Fort Worth event. These beautiful, majestic equines were shown love, guidance, trust, and respect from the trainer who worked with them, and now we would see the results. The desire to train a horse comes from deep within. It takes a person with true inward honesty and an abundant amount of patience to successfully train a horse. An innate awareness of how to work with an animal’s natural strength along with the ability to turn fear into courage makes a good trainer great.

Over the next two days in Fort Worth, horse trainers from all over the United States performed with their mustangs in an exhibition sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Thousands cheered and watched in awe as formerly wild horses maneuvered through amazing patterns and freestyle movements. Each performance was as different as the color of the horses but a common thread of trust, respect, bonding, and unconditional love between horse and trainer was apparent. I stood, cheered, clapped, and hollered for each horse and for the positive relationship and invisible connection that had developed. It was evident to me that each horse had found peace in a domesticated environment away from his natural habitat in the wild. A new partnership and a strong bond between horse and human had formed. Each horse and trainer was a winner to me.

After the awards were given out and the crowd settled down, the auction began. This was the part that pulled at my heart and exposed my emotions. Horses and their trainers were scattered throughout the arena. Trainers were waiting for their horses turn to come up for bid. The auctioneer stood in the middle of the arena and with a microphone in his hand, set the pace, and started the bidding. Jesse, the horse that won first place, was up for bid, meaning he would have a new home, a new environment, and a new owner. All eyes were on this horse and rider who were walking around in the center of the arena. One thousand, fifteen hundred, two thousand, yes, two thousand echoed around the arena and into the stands. Three thousand, yes, three thousand caused the crowd to clap and

cheer. Thirty-five hundred, do I hear thirty-five hundred? Yes, now, four thousand, four thousand. Do I hear four thousand?

The auctioneer said in a much slower tone, “This is a solid, well broke horse that will give you his all. Jesse’s trainer, Cody, won first place this year and first place last year at the Mustang Million. This horse is as true as the day is long. Do I hear four thousand? Yes, now, let’s go for five thousand. Do I hear five thousand?”

Continued on the Lone Star Book Blog Tours 10/12/16 tour stop . . .

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