And the winner is..........

Saturday evening we held our Year End Awards banquet for the 2009 Rivermont horse shows. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone! I can honestly say that I have met the most amazing friends thanks to hosting these horse shows, and it wasn't like a gathering of horse people waiting to claim their loot, it was a gathering of my second family! I'm not a big fan of public speaking, and of course I fumbled all over myself and I'm certain looked like the biggest dork ever...but I've been told it just added humor to the night. Glad I could help....

I don't have any people pictures as of yet, however I did take this one photo with my blackberry to show the "loot". If any of you readers out there took photos, please email me a few so I may post them!

I can't believe the year is almost over. Honestly, I'm thankful it's almost done. It has been quite the year to say the least, but I do see a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel. Adversity has truly steered me in a better direction! The Tri State shows appear to be a success, and hopefully will only grow with time! Best of all, I hope to make new friends through the process!

The one thing I have learned for sure this year is that God is faithful, dependable, loyal, and good. I saw His faithfulness in a mighty way Saturday night as a matter of fact, which I won't go into here, but it was apparent He had not forgotten me. He blessed me through a very special person, whom I can only hope will reap the harvest a million times for her kindness to me when I needed a hand. I'm not used to anyone doing anything for me, so this person's gesture was something I wasn't used to....and may God bless she and her family for it!

I can't help but to wonder what the future holds. I know what my hearts desires are, and frankly it looks hopeless from a human perspective. I know that this time last year I would have never dreamed I would have gone through what I've gone through this year. I wouldn't change a thing though, because I KNOW that I KNOW that there is a divine plan in all of this. I do have some good news though! You all know what a big Joyce Meyer fan I am! I did find out she will be in Chattanooga April 8-10th I believe. See her website at http://www.joycemeyer.com/. She's so amazing and annointed by God. Her amazing teachings of the Word are one reason I've held on this year.

Thank you to those of you who have stuck by my side in 2009. I am forever grateful for those who have been there, and pray for those nightly who have not or who have caused a great deal of pain in my life. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and God bless you all! :)

The kindness challenge

Hurting people hurt people. It's a vicious cycle that's a tough one to break. The more I pay attention to hurting people, the more I see it's a serious problem in the world today. I would venture to say there are more hurting people than happy people unfortunetly. With that in mind I have challenged myself to every single day go out of my way to reach out every single chance I get. For example, today I'm checking out at the grocery store and the guy bagging the groceries begins bragging about the $3 tip he received earlier. The lady ringing me up rolled her eyes. So I smiled and said "I'm guessing you didn't get a tip today!". That opened the door for her to vent her frustrations. I told her she was doing a great job and I hope she wound up having a wonderful day. We even talked about how selfish the world has become and she shared with how hateful people can be to her. So I smiled and chatted with her, and I truely believe the little things can make all the difference.

Or another example. I was in "Krystal" in Ooltawah, TN yesterday and I have to say it was the cleanest, friendliest Krystal I have ever been to. The sweet lady serving me brought my food to me and everything. I told her that I thought she had the best Krystal around and how much I appreciated how friendly she was and how clean her store was. She beamed with delight and asked that I tell her district manager who was sitting nearby.

I challenge you to go the extra mile every day and do something kind. If it's simply complimenting someone's sweater, or letting the person in line behind you with a gallon of milk (when your buggy is full) break in front of you, or calling the friend who you know has had a tough time lately and saying "I had you on my mind, how are you?", do it! I believe if we all did just a little more in the kindness department we could change the world!

We need to stop being so selfish. If you pay attention to that you will notice how so many people are so wrapped up in themselves. Stop that! Reach out, love your neighbor, and it will come back to you full circle!

Here's the cool part! I PROMISE YOU, that when you do something kind it will relieve your stress, it will make you smile, it will make you forget about whatever problems you may be facing. Get your mind of yourself and do something for someone else. Try it, I challenge you!

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