Generosity

    In the early forties, all of our farm work was done by horses, but we normally didn’t raise our own horses. We bought them from the neighbors or at the sale. When I was 11 years old, there was a horse born on a farm up the road from us. We could see it as we walked to school and back, and I thought it sure was a pretty foal. He had a spot on his side that looked like a flying bat, so they named him “Bat.” He also had a white blaze down the front of his face and some white on his legs. Every time I saw him, I thought about how much I would love to have that horse.

    I would go over to the neighbor’s place whenever I could and check on the foal. I would pet it and talk to it for a few minutes before I had to run back home and get busy with chores. From our house, I would sometimes see it tied to another older horse in their pasture. That’s how they broke it to ride. Bat was never broke to work in the field, since he was foaled from a riding horse. For 3 years, I watched him grow up. I knew I would never be able to buy it, or even ride on it. None of my older siblings had owned a riding horse, and it was foolish to think about owning one myself, although I always wished I could.

    My brother, Junior, came home on leave from the Navy in 1944, when I was 14. We were all excited to see him and wanted to tell him everything that had happened while he was gone. I couldn't wait to show him the horse up the road that I thought was so beautiful. I told him that Bat would no doubt be a fine riding horse, since the mare was such a good, fast horse.

    A few days later, Junior said, “I think I’ll buy that horse over there, if you will take care of him for me.” Words can’t describe what I felt at that moment. I couldn’t believe that this extraordinary animal was really mine! Junior may have thought it was really his, but to me, it was really mine!

    Junior bought the horse for 65.00 and basically gave it to me. In 30 horses, Bat stood out among the herd. He was faster than any of my friends' horses. He was very obedient and would go wherever I pointed him. I taught him to jump the gate to the pasture, so I wouldn’t have to get off and open it. First, I would walk him up to the gate, back him off, and then . . . away we’d go, over the gate!

    He was not afraid of anything, and he loved to swim.  On Sunday afternoons, we would sometimes ride our horses to the Arkansas River and try to cross it on horseback. It was no fun to cross unless it was up at about flood level, with logs floating past and the water swirling. When I crossed it on Bat, I would usually drift about ¼ mile downstream, so I started walking Bat ¼ mile upstream first, then we would cross. I was the only one who would try to cross it when it was flooded; or should I say, Bat was the only one that would try it.

    I have so many happy memories of that horse. He was the greatest horse in this part of the country. Bat stayed with our family for 23 years. It was one of the major highlights of my life to own and have a relationship with this kind of animal, and it would never have been possible if it hadn’t been for my brother’s generosity.

Life Lesson: Help people reach their dreams any time you can. You just might change their life.

Generosity: the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return.