It Was a Wonderful Time
By Jennifer Stratton

When Mr. Keller said during the 1998 ticket rally, "Whoever sells the first 500 tickets, I will give them a 5-6 year old Registered Quarter Horse, AQHA, fully trained…", my mom and I looked at each other and said, "We're going to get that horse!" We had been looking for a while for a horse and we knew that if anyone could find a good one, it would be Mr. Keller and Company.

My parents and grandparents had decided very quickly that they would buy all of the tickets if necessary because of their faith in Mr. Keller to find just the right horse for me and my family.

By the second week, my mom had picked up 500 of the donation tickets, but in the meantime, I was busy talking with teachers, parents of friends, neighbors, and yes, even strangers that looked "nice". There was a lot of rejection, but there was also a tremendous amount of support. After the third week, I had sold many donation tickets, along with several show tickets. Trying to explain to those people who could not attend the Show, that the donation tickets were tax deductible was quite the experience for me. Mom had tried to explain the concept, but I guess some day I will fully understand that one. As my parents watched me trying to sell these precious tickets, they decided to get "into the action". My dad took tickets to work, mom contacted our carpet installers, her clients who included lawyers, doctors, veterinarians, and several of her friends for support of the Westernaires and the program. The challenge became more and more exciting, as I realized that my fondest dream would come true. My mother and I, on ticket turn in night, went to our last stop and talked with an executive at Carpet Mill Outlet, who asked many difficult questions, but decided that Westernaires is a great organization and Jennie deserved that horse. Doing the final tally on paper and calculators was the most challenging, I feel, of it all. But with God's grace and gift of patience, we got it done, and now I have a beautiful horse that will bring many years of enjoyment and hopefully, not too many bills.

So now my journey begins, and thanks to Mr. Keller and those who helped find Ajax, my family, friends, and complete strangers, I have achieved a personal goal that I felt, at times, was totally unobtainable. Thanks Mom, Dad, Grandma, and God for the encouragement and support! It has been a wonderful time indeed. Click here for a photo of Jennifer and her new horse.