Teresa Moats is one of our dear friends & a special guest that stays with us at Holiday Cottages. After knowing her for the past 5 years, she is so special to our Cottages Family. She is funny, sweet, great to talk to, & a Chincoteague Pony LOVER! She loves to go on a boat tour, take high-quality photos of the ponies, and we love her stories and updates about the herd.
This year's (July 2019)Pony Penning week, Teresa had a secret: she was going to bid on a buy-back filly at the Pony Auction that she fell in love with. We crossed our fingers for her until Friday's Auction..When she came in the office the next morning we were DYING to know if she had won her bid. So she told us an incredible story about her buy-back, Sissy-Angel of Hope that she bid on. When she told us: Kathy, Mom, & I in the office all got chills. I believe all of every detail in her story was FATE!
I asked Teresa to write me the story she told so that I could share it with Holiday Cottages Blog & Facebook- see quoted below.
"Hi Alyssa, here's my write-up..
My family and I have been coming to Chincoteague since the late 60s.
My mom and dad brought my 4 brothers, 1 sister (Sissy), and I here to go fishing, swimming, crabbing, and of course we saw PONIES. We would see the ponies on the road, early in the morning (4am) as we were headed to the beach to go fishing. We also saw ponies on the wildlife loop.
One afternoon, my sister Cecilia (Sissy), my son Daniel and I decided to ride around the loop. We saw bunnies, birds, deer, and this time ponies. Well, the pony was on the loop so we stopped to let the pony go by. But the pony decided to come over to the car and my sister rolled the window down. And the pony stuck his head in and Sissy yells at me, "Sister, do something!!I" so I rolled the window up slowly but not before the pony got his tongue all over the inside of the window.
My son Daniel thought it was hilarious. He was 3 years old at the time. When we got back to the Holiday Cottages, Daniel ran to tell my mom and dad what happened. They thought it was funny too. My sister had many wonderful times in Chincoteague. Even though Sissy was born with Down Syndrome, it never held her back. She would go crabbing, fishing, and swimming.
Sissy passed away in Feb 2007 at 53 years old.
She loved Chincoteague and Chincoteague loved her.
I was very blessed to have such a wonderful sister and I wanted to purchase a buyback foal in her memory. I had been previously watching every single foal that was born and I had a special connection with Danny's Girl Splash X Hoppys little filly. She was born on April 1, 2019. I just knew she was the one. She was picked as a buyback and I was all the more excited because it meant she would live on Assateague Island, VA for the rest of her life. So on July 25, 2019 (auction day) I stepped on to the Carnival grounds with such anticipation, anxiety and hope. The little filly I was looking at was #6 in the ring. I found out prior to the bidding that the proceeds for this filly were going to be donated to the United Way of Eastern Shore VA. So it began. I bidded and bidded and bidded. And in the end I won the bid for this beautiful, gorgeous, and loving filly. Her name is Sissy-Angel of Hope. I am so blessed and thankful to sponsor Sissy. Dreams really do come true.
PS. My sister, Sissy worked for the Hagerstown Goodwill for over 35 years and Goodwill falls under the umbrella of the United Way...God really does work in mysterious and loving ways.. (Recalling from above, that the proceeds for the this filly were going to be going to the United Way of ESVA.)
I also wanted to let you know that there were family, friends, friends of friends, and PFFs (pony friends forever) who financially contributed to this endeavor. I am eternally grateful for the kindness of others. Love and hugs!
Thanks Alyssa for telling my story. You guys are the BEST!!!!"
So, WOW! I believe that this was all fate for Teresa. She bid AND WON the filly she fell in love with. She named the filly Sissy- Angel of Hope after her Sister, Cecilia. Cecilia also worked for her hometown's Goodwill (United Way) and AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, the filly's proceeds would donated to the Eastern Shore of VA's United Way. As Teresa stated, "God really does work in mysterious and loving ways- & Dreams Really Do Come True" At the beginning of this blog post, I said that we all got chills when she told us the story and the fate of it all, and I still have chills as I wrap up this blog post.
Thank you Teresa, we love you and are so proud of you for your accomplishment.
*I would love to share any more stories/memories of your experiences on Chincoteague Island or at your "home away from home" at Holiday Cottages. Please email me at holidaycottageschinco@gmail.com