Melanie was a six-year-old girl who had always wanted a family. She had been in foster care since she was two years old, too young to remember her real parents.
She often thought about them and wondered, “Who were they? Did they love me?” These thoughts made her sad, and she’d ask herself, “Why didn’t they want me?” But despite her sadness, Melanie never gave up hope.
Then one day, something amazing happened, something Melanie had been praying for.
A social worker visited Melanie one day, bringing a young couple with her. The man winked at Melanie with a grin, and the woman had the kindest eyes Melanie had ever seen.
“This is Gordon and Helen,” the social worker said, “and they want to adopt you.”
“They do?” Melanie gasped, then looked at them and asked, “Why do you want to do that?”
Gordon was surprised by the question, but Helen knelt down to Melanie’s level and said, “We want to adopt you because we think you’re the nicest, funniest, and prettiest girl in New York City.”
Melanie smiled brightly and hugged Helen. She finally had a family that wanted and loved her just the way she was.
Living with Gordon and Helen, Melanie found out that having parents was both wonderful and difficult. It was great to have two people always caring for her, but it was tough because they noticed when she didn’t do her homework or did something she shouldn’t.
In her foster home, it was easy to get away with things since there were so many kids. But in a real family, people paid attention because they cared. Melanie realized this was a good thing, and when Helen asked her to clean her room, she hugged her and said, “Thank you!”
Helen laughed and said, “I should tell you off more often, Melanie!”
“Yes, please!” Melanie replied. “Then I’ll know you care.”
Six months passed, and the little family grew closer. They learned about each other’s habits—Melanie knew to be quiet in the mornings because Gordon worked night shifts, and Gordon stopped scaring her with plastic spiders after learning she was genuinely scared.
Helen discovered both Gordon and Melanie loved peanut butter cookies, and they’d all sit together on the porch, eating them as fast as they could.
Life was happy, but then something bad happened. Gordon got hurt at work and had to stay in the hospital for weeks. Helen became more worried as the bills piled up.
Melanie noticed and would often comfort Helen at night, sneaking into her bed to give her a hug. “Thank God for you, Melanie,” Helen would say softly.
Thankfully, Gordon recovered and came home, though he had to use crutches. But soon, medical bills arrived, and Helen looked more and more worried. “We’ll sort it out,” Gordon said, trying to stay calm.
“Our savings are gone,” Helen whispered. “What if Melanie needs something, and we don’t have the money?”
Gordon reassured her, saying, “Trust in God.” Then, turning to Melanie, he joked, “Hey, I think there are some peanut butter cookies hiding on the top shelf.”
One morning, Melanie woke up to a loud noise—a party whistle in her ear! She opened her eyes to see her room full of balloons. Gordon and Helen were standing by her bed, wearing silly hats and yelling, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Melanie smiled. “I forgot it was my birthday!”
“Come on,” said Gordon. “There’s a surprise!”
In the dining room, a big banner read “Happy Birthday, Melanie!” and on the table was the most beautiful birthday cake she had ever seen.
“Is this for me?” she whispered, amazed. She saw her name on the cake, surrounded by stars.
“It has my name on it!” Melanie cried and burst into tears.
Gordon and Helen were worried. “Why are you crying?” Gordon asked gently.
“I’ve never had a birthday cake before!” Melanie sobbed. “Does this mean you love me? Really, really love me?”
Gordon and Helen hugged her tightly. “Of course we love you!” Helen said. “We chose YOU!”
It was the best birthday Melanie had ever had, and even though she ate too much cake and got a little sick, it was a day filled with happiness.
The next morning, the family was getting ready for church when there was a knock at the door. A tall man stood there. “Are you Melanie’s adoptive mother?” he asked Helen.
“Yes,” Helen replied. “Who are you?”
“I’m a friend of her birth father,” the man said. “I’d like to see her.”
“You can’t take her away!” Helen cried, panicking.
“I’m not here to take her,” the man said gently. “I just want to talk to her.”
Helen and Gordon sat nearby, holding hands, while the man spoke to Melanie. “My dear,” he began, “your mommy and daddy loved you very much. But your mom went to heaven when you were a baby, and soon after, your dad got very sick.”
Melanie listened carefully. “Your dad wanted to make sure you were taken care of, so he asked me to sell everything he had for you.”
The man handed Melanie a piece of paper. “He wanted you to have this when you turned eighteen, or when you were adopted by a loving family. I believe Gordon and Helen love you very much, so I’m giving this to you now.”
Melanie gave the paper to Helen, who started crying. It was a check for $40,000. Melanie’s birth family had left her a gift that came at just the right time, helping her new family when they needed it the most!
Source: Pexels
A social worker visited Melanie one day, bringing a young couple with her. The man winked at Melanie with a grin, and the woman had the kindest eyes Melanie had ever seen.
“This is Gordon and Helen,” the social worker said, “and they want to adopt you.”
“They do?” Melanie gasped, then looked at them and asked, “Why do you want to do that?”
Gordon was surprised by the question, but Helen knelt down to Melanie’s level and said, “We want to adopt you because we think you’re the nicest, funniest, and prettiest girl in New York City.”
Melanie smiled brightly and hugged Helen. She finally had a family that wanted and loved her just the way she was.
Living with Gordon and Helen, Melanie found out that having parents was both wonderful and difficult. It was great to have two people always caring for her, but it was tough because they noticed when she didn’t do her homework or did something she shouldn’t.
In her foster home, it was easy to get away with things since there were so many kids. But in a real family, people paid attention because they cared. Melanie realized this was a good thing, and when Helen asked her to clean her room, she hugged her and said, “Thank you!”
Helen laughed and said, “I should tell you off more often, Melanie!”
“Yes, please!” Melanie replied. “Then I’ll know you care.”
Six months passed, and the little family grew closer. They learned about each other’s habits—Melanie knew to be quiet in the mornings because Gordon worked night shifts, and Gordon stopped scaring her with plastic spiders after learning she was genuinely scared.
Helen discovered both Gordon and Melanie loved peanut butter cookies, and they’d all sit together on the porch, eating them as fast as they could.
Life was happy, but then something bad happened. Gordon got hurt at work and had to stay in the hospital for weeks. Helen became more worried as the bills piled up.
Melanie noticed and would often comfort Helen at night, sneaking into her bed to give her a hug. “Thank God for you, Melanie,” Helen would say softly.
Thankfully, Gordon recovered and came home, though he had to use crutches. But soon, medical bills arrived, and Helen looked more and more worried. “We’ll sort it out,” Gordon said, trying to stay calm.
“Our savings are gone,” Helen whispered. “What if Melanie needs something, and we don’t have the money?”
Gordon reassured her, saying, “Trust in God.” Then, turning to Melanie, he joked, “Hey, I think there are some peanut butter cookies hiding on the top shelf.”
One morning, Melanie woke up to a loud noise—a party whistle in her ear! She opened her eyes to see her room full of balloons. Gordon and Helen were standing by her bed, wearing silly hats and yelling, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Melanie smiled. “I forgot it was my birthday!”
“Come on,” said Gordon. “There’s a surprise!”
In the dining room, a big banner read “Happy Birthday, Melanie!” and on the table was the most beautiful birthday cake she had ever seen.
“Is this for me?” she whispered, amazed. She saw her name on the cake, surrounded by stars.
“It has my name on it!” Melanie cried and burst into tears.
Gordon and Helen were worried. “Why are you crying?” Gordon asked gently.
“I’ve never had a birthday cake before!” Melanie sobbed. “Does this mean you love me? Really, really love me?”
Gordon and Helen hugged her tightly. “Of course we love you!” Helen said. “We chose YOU!”
It was the best birthday Melanie had ever had, and even though she ate too much cake and got a little sick, it was a day filled with happiness.
The next morning, the family was getting ready for church when there was a knock at the door. A tall man stood there. “Are you Melanie’s adoptive mother?” he asked Helen.
“Yes,” Helen replied. “Who are you?”
“I’m a friend of her birth father,” the man said. “I’d like to see her.”
“You can’t take her away!” Helen cried, panicking.
“I’m not here to take her,” the man said gently. “I just want to talk to her.”
Helen and Gordon sat nearby, holding hands, while the man spoke to Melanie. “My dear,” he began, “your mommy and daddy loved you very much. But your mom went to heaven when you were a baby, and soon after, your dad got very sick.”
Melanie listened carefully. “Your dad wanted to make sure you were taken care of, so he asked me to sell everything he had for you.”
The man handed Melanie a piece of paper. “He wanted you to have this when you turned eighteen, or when you were adopted by a loving family. I believe Gordon and Helen love you very much, so I’m giving this to you now.”
Melanie gave the paper to Helen, who started crying. It was a check for $40,000. Melanie’s birth family had left her a gift that came at just the right time, helping her new family when they needed it the most!
‘Little Miss Dynamite’ blew up the charts when she was only 12: The story of Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee’s name may not be as recognizable as some of the other music stars from the 1960s but when you think of Christmas, you’ll know her song, and start humming her catchy tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
When Lee, now 78, first hit the stage, she wasn’t old enough to drive but her powerful vocals steered her “unprecedented international popularity” as the most successful female artist of the 1960s.
Lee, whose voice defied her diminutive stature at only 4 foot 9, became a fan favorite when she was only 12.
Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, got her start in the late 1940s, became huge in the 1950s, and over her career–that started before she left elementary school–she topped the charts 55 times, earning the title as the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.
When Lee was only eight (according to Rolling Stone), her father, a construction worker, was killed at work and little Brenda–who then changed her last name to Lee–became the family’s primary provider.
Taking care of her younger brother, big sister, and mother–a cotton mill worker–was not a duty, but something she wanted to do. She said that she was thrilled when she made her first $20, so she could help her family: “Even at that young age, I saw that helped our life,” Lee said, adding “It put some food on the table. It helped, and I loved it.”
The Atlanta-born chanteuse, called a “pioneer of early rock and roll,” by the Georgia Encyclopedia, achieved “unprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.”
But, an incredibly humble human, Lee credits those who helped her achieve her dreams. When Christianity Today asked what she thinks about being a legend, Lee said “I don’t think of myself that way!” She continued, “I’m just a girl who’s been blessed to be doing what I’m doing, and there’s a lot of people who’ve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of life’s work into me to be able to have my dream. So, if I’m a legend, then they’re legends, too.”
In 1956, the young girl joined country star Red Foley for a show at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she belted out “Jambalaya,” by Hank Williams.
She was then signed to appear on Foley’s Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of viewers fell in love with the sassy 12-year-old whose talent was developed well beyond her age.
In the same year, Lee signed with Decca Records, and the next year, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and fusing country with rhythm and blues–highlighted by her hiccupping vocals–she recorded early rockabilly classics like “BIGELOW 6-200,” “Little Jonah,” and “Let’s Jump the Broomstick.”
When asked if–when as a young girl–she was nervous performing in front of large crowds, she answered: “No, not really. Nobody ever told me to be nervous. The stage always felt like a hometown to me because I had been in front of people ever since I was 3 years old, singing to people. So it was a very comfortable spot for me.”
In 1957, Lee earned the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” for her pint-sized powerhouse recording of the song “Dynamite,” and in 1958, fans heard “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” a genre and generation-crossing holiday standard, released when she was only 13.
“I knew it was magical,” she told Rolling Stone.
Over the next couple of years, she charted with hits like “Sweet Nuthin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
Most of her songs, however, contradicted her experience as a young girl. Her mother didn’t let her date and she graduated high school not understanding the heartbreak of young love.
She was only 16 when she said “Love could be so cruel” in the song “I’m Sorry” and only 16 when she said “I want his lips to kiss me” in the song “I Want to be Wanted,” both back-to-back hits when she was still in school.
And when she turned 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, whom she’s now been happily married to for 60 years.
Life on the road for Lee as a youngster had its difficulties. She celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas and speaking with the Las Vegas Journal, Lee explained her loneliness.
“Of course, I wasn’t even allowed to walk through a casino, I was so young. So I didn’t even know what a casino looked like. They took me into the kitchen, then into the showroom. And then when my show was over, I was brought back out through the kitchen and back up to my room. Children weren’t allowed … in the casino area.” She continued, “There wasn’t anything to do in Vegas for a kid. The most fun I had was on the stage.”
Speaking on what she missed out on as a child, the award-winning Lee said, “Many times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.”
Turns out she made new friends on the road, like with the music group that opened for her at a 1962 show in Germany. “I hung out with John,” she says effortlessly, speaking of John Lennon. “He was extremely intelligent, very acerbic with his jokes, just a gentle person. When I found out that they later said they were fans of my music, I was just floored.”
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