Isn't it absolutely amazing how incredibly thick we can be when it comes to reinventing our thought process? Oh sure, you think you're the exception. You’re the one that when you set your mind to something you just do it.

Yep, me too! And then I come across this silly little article or test that I submit myself to reading and participating of my own accord. After all, I'm so sure that I am in control of my new destiny, that of course I’m going to check it out!

Yes, I'm speaking of "The Secret" indirectly, but "The Secret" nonetheless! Okay... What was the little test or article you ask?

I suppose I can repeat it as I don't believe it was patented and I can switch it up a bit to share it here.

You're going to have to humor me and go with it for a few minutes here....

First of all you need to visualize... Visualize the way you've been learning and practicing the principles of visualization... When asked to call something to mind can you do it? Think of a green field full of daisies. Okay, now imagine the ocean with a gentle tide approaching the white sandy shores. Doing okay so far? We’re still at the ocean; visualize bodies lying on the beach taking in the sun rays. Do you have it in your mind now? Those were just some warm ups for you to practice before we get to the meat and potatoes. Are you ready now for the real deal?

Okay, here we go!

Think of someone you see as the definition of successful. Can you see them? Okay, now think of another person who you see as highly successful. You should easily be able to call up to your mind an image of these two people at the same time, standing side by side. Got it? Okay, now visualize still one more person you see as highly successful.

You have now visualized three individuals who are all highly successful in your mind and way of thinking, right? Can you see all of them standing next to one another in your mind? What characteristics do these three individuals all share in common? What separates them from one another? Can you define what it is about each of them that you can connect to in some way? Now the ultimate question..... Was one of these three people yourself? And if not, why not? After all, haven't we been preaching visualizing yourself as successful, wealthy, having your hearts desire?

Okay, you got the point. Wasn’t' that a dirty trick? Like a pop quiz in school that you were not prepared for, but know when it's all said and done you should have had aced. Yep, I blew it too! I did not see myself in the three visualized successful people and immediately got the point when I read "WHY NOT?" I could have kicked myself in the bottom side realizing how obvious that should have been and I missed it!

Therefore, today has to be the day, the day I truly get a grip on how this is truly going to work out. I have to stop seeing myself as someone waiting to make it and realize I've already made it. There is more than one reason for this! Something that we often miss in life is the journey. Yes, I mention it often in my blogs, the journey that is. However, what I haven't really elaborated on is the value of the journey.

We spend so much of our time thinking about what it is going to be like when life is what we dream it to be that all too often we miss the answered dreams along the way. We have to realize we are there; we've already made it every step of the way as each step in the journey is in itself a successful element of our journey. It also serves to motivate, inspire and encourage us in what is yet to come.

We have to embrace today and see ourselves exactly as we wish to or strive to be. If we see ourselves as anything less than we do the disservice of creating a negative image of failure. In an image of failure is a self limiting belief that sets the stage for our tomorrows! Instead, the stage should be a platform established on the un-limited belief system that we have been and are still right where we are meant to be and that we have already made it.

It's like my movie script in which the agency is currently promoting and attempting to sell to a viable producer. I use this example for my visualizing comparisons. I can say I have a movie placed with an agency and that all sounds great and good. However, I would be better to visualize that the offer on my script is being established and prepared within hours and in a matter of time such famous actors and actresses, perhaps even the likes you'd never imagine will not only be reading but portraying the characters in my script on the big screen. At first I thought to myself that it is probably no more than a made for TV movie script. But I realize that is a self limiting belief theory. Now I say it's going to be on the big screen! And why shouldn't I believe that? I should and I do, I am visualizing big name actors and actresses and the beginning of my incredible career as a writer. The only thing I'm wondering most sincerely about is why it took me so long to get off dead center and put myself out there. Out in the world of publishers, movies, books, and in general "THE UNIVERSE"?

No time to spend with regrets or looking backward as there is far too much to do today and tomorrow that will bridge today to next month, next year and the rest of my life!

And by the way....I do know what my purpose in life is! My purpose is to go to Heaven to be with my creator and Lord and take as many others with me along the way as I possibly can. Yes, I borrowed the concept from someone else... However, if the person I borrowed if from feels the way I do, they will hope that many others will be borrowing the very same life purpose as well. I acknowledge the more successful I see myself the more apt I am to demonstrate leadership qualities that will help in paving a clear path for many to find their way to Heaven's Eternity too!

So, on that note, I hope you visualized yourself as one of those three successful people here tonight... But if you didn't you can start right now! Put your name and your face into the fourth position and rank them in order with yourself number one! It's a perfect time to start and a great illustration to drive home the process! Remember - God is in the Process - therefore... You got it - trust the process!

God Bless and Happy Visualizing!

Thank you for reminding me of how blessed we are to be here in Colorado! The thought of counting the sunshine days on one hand reminds me of this fact!

However, we here in Colorado regions hold our breath and say a lot of extra prayers when we are awaiting moisture. Our terrain counts on it and without it we face wind erosion, drought, and perhaps the worst of all is fire. I know we surely don't have an exclusive on these matters as there are plenty of other areas in the news suffering from the woes of Mother Nature as well.

It isn't that we don't appreciate the sun filled, crystal clear, blue skies dramatically emphasized by the back drop of the awe inspiring, God reminding Rocky Mountains! I simply can't ever get enough of that... But the moisture keeps what should be green, green... The lakes that should be full, filled... The skies that should be blue, blue instead of crimson orange from the fires that burn miles and miles away... And so on!

Therefore, in our region specifically we are praying for moisture at the time. We are faced with a beautiful weekend and surely can't complain about that, but that doesn't stop our requests for moisture come Monday maybe, or Tuesday would be okay too.


Speaking of the weekend, I think we will go take in the first race of the season at I-76 Speedway on Sunday. I believe it's called the ice-breaker, for obvious reasons. However, in this particular year I think they could have held it a month earlier with the early spring that has arrived. It will be fun for all since at least two or three of our foster sons have never been there and in some cases never been to the car races regardless.

I found myself embracing the sport when Chad, our biological son raced on the local tracks. At first I wanted to kill his father for getting him going on racing. I was terrified that something bad was going to happen to him, as we had faced life threatening situations with him so many times over the years. I was curious if Ron was just seeing how far he could push his luck in gambling on Chad's life... But in the end, it's true I became the families biggest race fan... That is with only one other exception, my Mother who also held her breath when we watched our pride driving frantically on the round tracks!

I suppose it's like anything, you get around something long enough, become familiar with the in's and outs and before you know it, it has your interest as well. I imagine some day in the future, when finances afford the possibility, Chad may very well find himself behind the wheel again. The next time however, I tend to believe he will be driving in the IMCA division, unless I miss my guess. And of course, you can count on his biggest fans (Mom, Dad, Nano and of course his newest and no doubt biggest fan his wife, Kelly) all along side the track hooting and hollering for the world to hear; except maybe Chad himself who can't hear us yelling over the sound of the engines running.

It's a day out of school today and I just got the boys started on their self starting work on learning to ride or at least ride properly. It's always a bit of a challenge to work with the boys when they are first starting out and you never know for sure who is going to and who isn't going to maintain an interest in any of it. The first Palomino/Buckskin show of the season is May 3rd, a fair distance from home, so I suppose I will shuttle them over to have their first experience in the world of horse shows. In the past the boys have been incorporated into helping with the show, by opening and closing gates, grounds clean up, helping in the show office with entries and such. They have done a great job, so good in fact that we received a plaque and special recognition for our assistance at the Buckskin year end awards dinner, plus dinner too boot! It was a nice surprise!

So, with that much stated, I suppose it's time to go monitor them at a distance, giving them enough room to start to learn on their own, but close enough to save them from themselves or the horses from them in the process. Horses and youth.... It's a great thing you know!

Have a great Friday afternoon and/or evening and a wonderful weekend too!

Yes, it's nearly time... The book I have personally been awaiting along with a number of others who no doubt thought is would never come to be, has a number and a place in the history books. Be it unknown as to what the place may look like, "It is..."

I have promised snippets of insight to the book here on my blog as the author of "A Love Beyond Time". Today I am opting to offer a sneak peek at one element of the story, perhaps a small element, but a large component of the make up of one of the main characters.

The hope I have in creating this character is to offer an insight to the lives of those born into the ministry and the pressure that appears to be unjustly placed upon them. The view is from a personal reflection of several pastors off spring that I have come to know through out my life.

There are so many old adages about the "PK" reputation. Two of the most common myths in my experience are:

1.) The unrealistic impressions of overly self righteous expectations.
2.) The old adage that you don't allow your children to date the Preachers kid cause everyone knows their the worst!

In "A Love Beyond Time" Katie, a lovely young woman, is attempting to discover her own identity, in spite of the image that a small community creates for her as the daughter of one of the area's church pastors. She is the youngest child of three and seemingly more aware of the burden of responsibility placed on her than her older brother. Though he is several years her elder, she views him as nearly perfect in her eyes. Katie struggles to meet the level of expectancy she feels he has put before her. Yet, she is willing to take the burden as it connects her to her own personal faith and belief. Her position is unlike Veronica’s, the middle child and Katie’s older sister. Veronica has since a youthful age been rebelling against all that her lot in life has dealt her.

It opens our eyes to the nearly mystical world of the life of many if not most that choose a life of service in the ministry. We can see from a more personal vantage point where such expectations can and often do affect the outcome and lives of those who we so often take for granted. Those individuals whom we inadvertently place our own image and expectations upon even without realizing we've done so.

The book takes us on a life time journey of twists and turns. With each passing chapter we never know what to expect as the cliff hangers continue to unfold. If honest, we can each find a bit of ourselves intertwined within the pages of the unfolding plot.

Didn't mean to enter that twice - but it appeared to have not gone through - it's gone now!

However, I didn't really think I could get away with entering one blog twice to fool you into thinking that I hadn't missed a day! But hey, thanks for the in-put Pamelita!!!! It's a great idea and a test to see if you're paying attention... tee hee hee

Yes, just when I was sure I had missed spring with temps reaching into the high 80's and low 90's in only the middle of April; it's now snowing only 24 hours later.

For those of you dying to know how red hot my sun experience left me, I'm glad to announce that the SPF facial protection I put on worked great - just a bit of color - not red or even pink for that matter. As for my legs - I don't understand it, as I used to sunburn so badly in such a short amount of time. However, now days my legs take a bit more exposure to get any color at all. Therefore the outcome is that they are fine as well.

My arms felt warm last night but today they are untainted. Then again, it was not all day but only about an hour when I was relaxing and then maybe 45 minutes when I was cleaning out the flower bed and such. So, the good news is the only thing sore is my back from bending over in the garden area. The bad news is the base tan still does not exist. LOL Oh well - at my age should it matter? Probably not, but for some reason it still does. <>

So, today I have reflected a great deal... I'm not all together sure why, but I have. I have thought about the way things seem in life versus the way they actually are. How the gravel meets the pavement so to speak.

I know I have addressed this issue before about not presuming to know about other life’s until you have actually walked in their shoes. And in 9 out of 10 of those situations we will never walk in those shoes... Maybe that is why the Bible is so clear on the judgment issue and strongly favors forgiveness for all, of all, in all.

Just thought I'd throw that out there today for all of you to mull around a bit. What each of us does with such thoughts is probably a very personal matter and between our creator and self.

Then the other matter I was drawn toward is the fact that I have had little to say on the whole Secret subject of late. Since the title of my blog is directly in correlation to such matters, I thought perhaps I may be a bit behind in bringing it up again.

It isn't that some days I choose to live by it, believe in it or apply it to my life and other days I simply blow it off. No, I do believe it as it is, as I have said many times before, "Biblically based". I apply it whenever, however and in any way I can, as often as I can remember to do so.

Do I see the impact of these principles taking root in my life? Most certainly! I am still awaiting the movie offer and believe it will come! <> However, there is another point in check that really needs to be addressed or perhaps re-addressed. It has been brought to my attention that there may actually be people out there who believe that magically, by positive thinking, they are going to have the desires of their hearts dropped in their laps.

Let me use a past example of God's grace and goodness and how this all applies, even at times when we don't have a name for it. A little over ten years ago we were given notice that the acreage and 13 plus stall horse barn and large home we had lived in for six years was no longer going to be permitted to house more than two horses. I don't recall just how many we had at the time, but I can assure you it was far more than two! We had a very small window of time to move or eliminate a large number of horses from our property.

We not only had the problem of finding a place where we could move to with all of our critters, but the bigger problem was finding somewhere that was suitable for foster care regulations, the critters and affordable as we were on a fairly limited monthly budget.

Sure, there were farms and acreages out there but most of them were three times more than we had been paying per month to lease our previous home. I had horses farmed out across half the county with friends from church and beyond. God provided a temporary solution and I was dreadfully fretful that the temporary would wear out before we found an option that provided something more permanent. After all, we couldn't expect to take advantage of the good nature of these individuals for too long!

It was the holiday season and nothing was coming together. We looked at so many places and one that I thought would be good for Ron, as it was much closer to where he was working at the time. However, the house was too small and the rent was much higher. Ron adamantly didn't want to move to the mountains and left me looking for more possibilities with my hopefulness growing dim. I finally went with the holiday season and quit worrying for the time. There was no point in fretting over it until after the first of the year and no one was indicating a problem with housing the horses at that point.

We went to Cheyenne for the day after the first of the year - in fact it was the New Years Eve weekend as I recall. On our way home we stopped by an all you can eat buffet in the Greeley area and picked up a Thrify Nickle in the free publications as we exited that night. The very next day was a Sunday…Ron read an ad for a farm for rent in that Thrifty Nickle. It seemed impossible and the distance Ron would have to drive was unbelievable, but we went to drive by and take a look out of curiosity more than anything else..

The long and the short of it, we moved in and have been here ever since. And the place we had moved from before that one had a similar story that left me a believer that God would not forsake us in our living situation.

I know there are many people who frown on renting and see it as a waste of money... But I have to tell you this situation has been the biggest blessing time and time again. So much so that I couldn't even began to share all of them here. The fact of the matter is that none of us, no not even one of us will live forever on this earth as it is now. Nope! And we surely can't take it with us... Shoot, for that matter we can't even be buried on our own property! So, with this much said, I have no regrets.

Sure, we are looking to buy "The Big House on the Hill" and I'm fine with it if it goes through and we end up moving there. However, on the other hand, I know with the right mind set being that of "The Secret", strong faith, and a thankful heart, we will be right where we are meant to be. It won't matter if it's here for some time longer, or in the house on the hill. I know in any event we will be looked after and loved just as much now as we ever have been. I know that I know that the perfect will of God has its best chance of playing out in our lives with the right mind set.

My point in all of this is simply, had we not been aware and looking, we would have or could have missed the opportunity. We could have not been willing to move in the direction that seemed to take us where God was leading. You can't just sit back and wait, you have to move forward, be willing to put yourself out there to be sure you're going where your destiny is calling you too.

"The Big House on the Hill" won't just fall into our laps! Really, rather we end up there or not, we had to begin a process and follow through with it until we knew for sure one way or the other.... We're still in the process... And we all know who's in the process with us by now - right?

What does this all mean? It means that I need to believe as if I have already received the blessing because I have. It means that I have to believe in the desires of my heart as if God put them there himself, for in most instances he did. It means that with the right mind set I am much more apt to be in a position to draw positive and positively impacting situations to my life and to the lives of those around me. It means that I am drawing on the good, positive and pure elements of the Universe as God has called them into play in all areas of my life.

What it doesn't mean is that I won't experience difficulties, tough days or moments of hopelessness when the stopper comes out of my whirlpool of life. It doesn't mean that I am immune from failure or experiencing life’s let downs... But I remind you that failure is only stepping stones to success!

Life is what it is, full of ups and downs, in and outs and situations that we simply can't predict. We know we are not going to live in this life as it is forever and that we will sooner or later lose loved ones or they will lose us. Will there be pain? Will there be grief? Will there be loss? Of course there will, but that is part of being alive, a part of the bigger picture. It makes me ponder “what if” we could only view death as graduation. We are quick to gather for graduation, wedding, awards and any number of other ceremonies; but the reality is that death is the greatest graduation of all! Our concern here should be to share the good news and the promise of this graduation... And then to be able to embrace the potential and happiness of those we love who have gone ahead of us knowing the Lord as their Savior.

So, how is life after the secret today you ask? Simply stated... "Very Well, Thank You!"

Be blessed and begin today in creating your own legacy of hope and fulfillment!!!!