The unhappy little horse

Reading ... Litlle story
The little horse was always unhappy, despite living in a beautiful barn full of comfort.
He had a big green field to ride and play with his friends. He also had plenty food and water to drink.
When the night came, he would go to his barn to rest in his bed, while he could see the stars shining in the sky, far away, through the window.
There was a friend called John who looked after him, bathing the little horse  regularly and brushing his fur gently.
Still, the little horse was not happy and spent all his time complaining about life.
He complained of having to get up early or even because the grass was not very green and soft.
When the farm worker came to bathe him, the little horse complained that the water was very cold and that the brush was so hard it hurt him.
One day, when John came smiling to look after him,he found the little horse in a really bad mood. The employee unintentionally dropped the bucket of water over the horse's hoof by mistake.
The animal immediately reacted angrily, kicking the poor server. The little horse also said to the man:
— Clumsy!
The man could not get up, screaming for help.
When people came to help him, they saw him on the ground. They then asked:
— What happened, John?
He really liked the horse and did not wish him to be punished. The man then replied:
— Nothing. I fell and hurt my leg.
John was then taken to a hospital. It was found that he had broken a bone in one leg and would need to plaster it. He would have to rest and avoid working for a month.
On the next day, another employee was placed in charge with animal care, replacing John.
The new employee did not care about anything. He was quite lazy.
He forgot to release the animals to walk on the field, didn’t change the drinking water or replace the old grass with new grass. He didn’t even like to bathe the animals, leaving them dirty and smelly.
Since the little horse complained about the way they were being treated because it was full of flies, he was whipped on the back by the man.
The little horse felt scared since this never happened to him before. He never complained about anything anymore.
It now remembered, with deep nostalgia, the old server that was always treating them with kindness and never let them miss anything. When it was alone at night, watching the stars, the little horse cried with sadness in his dirty and smelly bed.
The little horse felt full of joy when John returned after thirty days. The horse leaned his head on his chest, pleased by the return of his friend.
    The employee felt surprised with the caring attitude of the animal. The little horse used to be so grumpy, but now was keeping his head down. It was all dirty; his fur was bleeding, bitten by insects.
He embraced the horse filled with compassion. He then washed the little horse, took care of wounds and brushed his hair. When he finished, he looked at the animal and said:
— Right. You're now looking better!
The little horse, that had a lot of time to think during those thirty days, told him, showing humility: 
—I appreciate your care and attention. It had to get hurt to learn to value your friendship. I now understand how rude I was with you, and you were so good to me. Forgive me for the kick I gave you. This will never happen again.
He paused and, looking at his friend with eyes moist with emotion, he concluded:
—I learned that we need to thank for everything we have. God gave me a good life where nothing was missing, however I lived dissatisfied with everything. I had to wait for things to get worse so I could see how happy I was. I also understand you need to know to respect others if you want to be respected.

                                                                         AUNTIE CÉLIA

Source: O Consolador – Weekly Spiritist Magazine

Author: Célia Xavier Camargo

Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies

Thanks  Carolina Von Scharten