I'm Back!

After reviewing my goals for last year, I realize I was not able to accomplish a single one! But all praise to God, I am still here and have my health restored, and am ready to try again. Thanks to all who supported me over the last year while I regained my health.

A few people who did not know me well before the illness took hold of me, have commented on how different I am now. It was such a gradual decline that I really wasn't aware of how different I was. But I feel the difference now, and the joy just radiates from deep within me. I hope that all who come in contact with me feel the joy of The Father just as I do.

All praise to God, I have walked through fire and come out the other side. Healed and whole, faith intact.

The Best Day of My Life

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it through today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far; the accomplishments, the many blessings, and yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger. I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know.

Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to some who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

Tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures. As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be ... THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!

Author Unknown

The Older Gentleman

The older gentleman from Arkansas is what my Dad calls him. He is my mother's father, my grandfather. He is actually from Denmark, and he will be 105 years old this Friday.

Happy Birthday Thorvald Jensen!
you were:
100 years old at the time of the 9-11 attack on America
98 years old on the first day of Y2K
96 years old when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash
94 years old at the time of Oklahoma City bombing
93 years old when O. J. Simpson was charged with murder
92 years old at the time of the 93 bombing of the World Trade Center
89 years old when Operation Desert Storm began
88 years old during the fall of the Berlin Wall
85 years old when the space shuttle Challenger exploded
82 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh
82 years old during Sally Ride's travel in space
80 years old when Pres. Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.
78 years old at the time the Iran hostage crisis began
75 years old on the U.S.'s bicentennial Fourth of July
73 years old when President Nixon left office
71 years old when Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot
68 years old at the time the first man stepped on the moon
67 years old when Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated
64 years old during the Watts riot
62 years old at the time President Kennedy was assassinated
58 years old when Hawaii was admitted as 50th of the United States
56 years old when the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 was launched
52 years old at the end of the Korean War
44 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima
40 years old at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
33 years old in the year radar was invented
28 years old when the American stock market crashed
25 years old in the year of the first talking motion picture
14 years old at the time of the sinking of the Lusitania
13 years old when the First World War began
11 years old at the time of the maiden voyage of the Titanic
5 years old during the great San Francisco earthquake

2006

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions. I don't like to make promises that I feel guilty for a whole year if I don't keep them. Instead, I'm setting goals for 2006.
My goals for 2006:
1. Quit smoking
2. Train 3 horses to a ridable level
3. Test on Parelli Level One
4. Progress through Parelli Level Two
5. Attend 3 horse shows
6. Pay off my house
7. Excercise more regularly
8. Eat healthier
9. Get organized
10. Laugh more

The Ranch

It started with a magazine article about a ranch in MN that hosted a camp for troubled teens. That got us to thinking. Hmmm, a horse ranch. To do what? My husband, Mike and I knew that our horses must be shared with the world, but the burning question was, "how"?

We batted a few ideas around, but somehow none were the "right" thing. Then on Christmas Eve, 2003 one of the pastors at our church gave us a book to read. He told us he and his wife both agreed that it screamed our names. Intrigued, Mike, the non-reader settled in to read it. The book was "Hope Rising", written by Kim Meeder. About a youth ranch in Bend, OR. Mike finished the book in a day and a half, and turned it over to me, another day and half and I was finished. And the dream began to take shape. We immediately sought out Kim Meeder and began communications that turned to support and mentorship.

Saturday deck time at the Dailey farm where we keep our two horses, is always prone to discussing dreams over a glass of wine. We began to discuss the possibilities and formulated an idea for our ranch, and a three to five year plan. As the weeks went by and the plans grew bolder, things started to happen. And we found ourselves being drawn down a path of no return. As things began to come together, we mentioned one night that we had a 3-5 year plan, but it looked like God had a 3-5 month plan. Michael Dailey piped up and said, "looks to me like it's more like a 3-5 week plan". And sure enough, March 15th, 2004 River Bluff Rescue Ranch was born.

Lesson 1: With God all things are possible.
Lesson 2: It's all about God's timing, not ours.