A Little Bit of a Birthday Surprise:
A Heartwarming "Tail" ;)
I enjoyed another birthday this week and remembered this little story blast from the past. I hope it brings you a smile. And don’t forget your worship moment at the end :)
A Little Bit of a Birthday Surprise
Mom slid the homemade chocolate cake with white frosting in front of me, lit the candles and began singing with the family.
“Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”
I waited until it ended, then blew with all my might. YES! I managed to get all ten candles out in one blow, surely that would impress my three younger brothers!
“I want the first piece. And can I have a big one?” my youngest brother asked.
“Why do you get the first one?” asked his twin.
“Jenny gets the first one since it’s her birthday,” Mom admonished. I carefully cut myself a wedge-shaped piece out of the cake, transferring it onto my plate via knife. I could taste it already from the delightful aroma. YUM!
Turning ten in the mid-1970s, I loved my tomboy identity. I wore my straight brown hair in a sixties middle part, secured in a low ponytail at the back. Flared pant legs needed to be secured by a rubber band to pedal my purple banana-seat bike. And I climbed trees and shot baskets with the best of the boys in my class.
I washed down the last bite of cake with leftover milk when Mom started speaking.
“Jenny, get your jacket on after you clean up your plate. The neighbors have a surprise for you to see.”
“They do?” I looked up. What would our neighbors George and Del have for me? That caught me by surprise.
Our House in the Country
We’d moved into our rural brick ranch house only a year ago, spread over an acre of land. We met our neighbors, George and Del when George’s two girls came to stay for the summer. I enjoyed helping them daily in their horse barn with the chores.
George and Del owned two show horses—Timberland Ethan-O, a large chestnut gelding, and Whitmore Carbon Copy, a light brown stud recently acquired. They also owned a small, dappled pony named Thunder that we saddled up to ride in their paddock. We learned how to curry-comb and brush him down after we rode. Del often “let us” pour grain into the horse food buckets and spread fresh straw in their stalls.
I’d learned a lot about horses since we moved. They were my newest obsession. I read books about horses and practiced sketching them. On the wall of my room, I displayed a giant poster bought at the Scholastic Book Fair that pictured all of the various horse breeds. My favorite breed would forever be the blond palomino.
The Horse Barn
“Dad will take you over,” Mom continued to instruct.
“To the barn?” I asked.
“No, not theirs; over to the giant horse barn out back.”
I’d never been to that giant white barn that I could see out our back sliding glass doors. Our backyard ended at a soybean field, and that large horse barn sat just beyond the field.
Quickly, I carried dishes to the sink and then grabbed my favorite jean jacket with the rhinestone steer on the back.
What awaited me over at the barn? I didn’t think it would be my own horse, as I hadn’t asked for one and knew we had nowhere to keep one. Plus, both mom and dad worked---and four kids kept them busy! There was no time for a horse at our house, so I was thankful we could help with those next door.
Dad and I got into our old station wagon, and he drove me two minutes over to the barn. Del waited for us in front of the open barn doors, waving her whole arm over her head. I jumped out of the car and waited for Dad to walk towards her.
“Hey there! Happy birthday Jenny!”
Thank you,” I responded, excited for whatever came next.
“I have a surprise to show you.” Del’s eyes gleamed with fun. “Follow me!”
We entered the barn and took the first right down a hall full of stalls for boarding horses. She stopped outside of one stall to the right.
A Little Surprise
“Right in here!” she pointed. “Carbon Copy sired a new foal, born today! It’s her birthday! And since it’s YOUR birthday, the surprise is…you get to name her!!”
“WHAT?!? I get to name her???!??” My eyes darted over to the stall, and I moved closer to the brown boards that enclosed it. I heard rustling and smelled the sweet aroma of clean straw and hay. Stooping lower, I peered through the slats and spotted the new filly, a miniature female Carbon Copy, big brown eyes staring right back at me. She stood still, right about my waist level.
Oh, the joy! What a cute little creature! I stood enthralled while Dad and Del laughed and chatted.
“Here, come on in and see her,” Del invited, sliding the clip and unlocking the stall door. Tiptoeing through the straw, I edged in beside her. The mare stood patiently while Del held her by the halter and offered her a carrot snack.
The filly skittered nervously back toward her mama. Gently, I reached out to stroke her smooth back, then patted the tuft of fur that would be her forelock between her ears. My heart filled with love for her, as I looked from her eyes and back at Del.
“What would you like to name her?” Del asked. “What would be a good name, do you think?”
Still stroking her forehead, I thought about all I’d learned about horses. When we saddled up Thunder to ride, we used a harness and put the bit in his mouth. Someday, this filly would learn to be ridden. So, it came to me, and I answered without hesitation:
“‘Little Bit!’ She’s just a ‘Little Bit’, and she’s going to need a little bit, so that should be her name!”
Del smiled back at me. “Then, ‘Little Bit’ it shall be!”
***
I never forgot being allowed to name that little filly on my tenth birthday. I knew I would probably never have my own, but to be able to name the brand-new foal felt like the next best thing.
I skipped into the house that night and raced to my room for a notebook. Full of emotion, words flowed through my pencil onto my lined paper, and became one of my earliest poems (which I searched high and low for and have not yet found…I know it’s here somewhere…!)
I never saw Little Bit again, as she’d been bought and sold long before her birth. But I never forgot her! And I’m betting she received a special “show name” from her new owners.
To this day, I appreciate that neighbor’s effort to make my birthday extra special that year! It doesn’t take much to make a child feel seen and loved.
(So, my advice for you this week? Go love on the children in your life. Kindness makes a lasting impression!)
What was your favorite birthday surprise in your younger years? Share with us if you’d like!
What a special memory Jan. When I was a young boy we had a Shetland pony. Know what his name was? Little Bit! How's that for coincidence?