Midnight Moonlight Greeting

Willowtrail Spring Maiden at dusk a few days before this story took place. I didn’t even try to take a photo at midnight under moonlight!

I had been away for three days on a last-minute trip, attending the Celebration of Life of a deceased friend. I returned home just before midnight, and my immediate priority was to take my dogs for a walk. When I stepped outside with them after changing my clothes, I saw that the waning gibbous moon had risen high enough in the sky to light the valley where I live. With hope in my heart, I scanned the hill nearby, and I was elated by what I saw.

As I walked toward the gate and my eyesight became adjusted to the light, I kept scanning the area. Soon I saw that there was not one but a number of ponies nearby, and that they had begun walking toward the gate too. Before long I had exchanged greetings with all but one of my mares and both my youngsters. The missing mare has a habit of being aloof, so when I couldn’t easily find her in the moonlight, I spoke my greeting, knowing I would see her the following morning. I didn’t even think to try to take a picture, so the one here is of an evening pony encounter a few days before.

My trip had been to an urban area that had required an airplane flight. I can count on one hand the number of such trips I’ve taken in the last ten years, so you can imagine how out of my element I felt, not just because I was away from my four-footed friends. Having my feet back on the ground here was a wonderful feeling. Then, that my mares would make themselves visible nearby for my homecoming was like icing on the cake. This life with ponies is amazing!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2021

You can find more stories like this one in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.