Diary of a Happy Appy

  1 Peter3:9 ~ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. There once was a little bay horse named Asap, or Grande as I knew him.  He was a twin and he thought he was the biggest and bestest horse in all of East Texas!  He did not believe that you should not repay an insult with an insult.  Grande thought so highly of himself that he would give out punishment for the slightest of infractions against him.  Dare to forget his peppermints – then he would lead you to them and not move until he had his required quota.  Try to make him go to his room? He would reopen his door and have a nice run around the grounds while you got your exercise chasing him!  But, Grande also had a side of him where he did bestow blessings.  He could be a cuddle bug on occasion and we received several high marks in dressage.  There was that one time tho...

  Proverbs 12:25~ Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. There have been countless references throughout scripture to the power of people’s words to either bring blessing or pain to others as well as to themselves.  What comes out of your mouth can heal a person and give life when spoken by wisdom and kindness.  Or if spoken without thinking or in haste, words can bring enormous pain.   Many Proverbs remind is the wisdom of keeping our mouths closed.  When we speak rashly we almost always regret it and may cause irreparable harm to ourselves or those close to us.  Our mouths literally have the power of life and death.  When we hear someone talking unkindly to the store clerk at the gas station, do we stand aside or do we say something?  In today’s climate how easy is it to get upset with someone that we don’t see eye to eye politically with?  I know I have been hesitant to call my Dad because we are at opposite ends...

  Matthew 6:34  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. “Want to make God laugh? Show God your plans.” Why do we feel the need to control every aspect of our lives at every waking moment?   We worry about everything!   No matter what it is, we fail to control 100% of every situation no matter what.   Life will always throw you a curve.   Want to plan the perfect picnic for a day outside? It rains.   Planning a surprise birthday party? Guess what, the Pastor knows what you are planning! The only thing you can control in life is you.   Your thoughts, emotions, actions, reactions, behaviors and choices.   Therefore, since the only thing I can control is my actions……   Bring on the pity party!   I had planned on several horse shows, lots of trail rides with friends, hanging out and girl time with my horse pals, and not being home bound!   Just like I...

  John 15:12 My command is this; Love each other as I have loved you. Some of you are looking at this picture and scratching your heads, yes that is a very old picture of me on my first horse.   His name is Blitz, my Dad got him for me when I was 8 or 9 years old and he was 2 going on 3.   Blitz was everything a first horse should not be for a young, beginning rider.   He was not really trained, he was headstrong, and he would run off if he didn’t want to do something but in my eyes he was perfect!   I learned SO much from Blitz about how to ride, balance and train a horse.   We grew up together.   While Blitz may not have been the perfect horse, he wasn’t big and flashy.   He certainly wasn’t the fastest horse on a barrel pattern, he did have heart and he tried.   He also helped me grow as a person and a horse trainer.   I am not sure I would have had the confidence to ride and work with some of the horses I did in later years if it...

  Psalm 46:10 ~ Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among nations, I will be exalted in the earth. “Be Still”, In today’s world how many of us can actually turn off everything and be still as God commands?   No phone, no smart watch, no tv, no radio, no fan for noise, nothing except you and God.   Try it.   It is harder than you might think.   We are so used to having some type of noise in the background that the absence of noise seems abnormal to us. Yet, if I am outside in a round-pen working with a horse, I want that silence.   Just me and the horse.   I can read the horses thoughts and movements and he mine.   It is so easy to be still and quiet when I am working with a horse, they are a flight animal that weighs upwards of 900 pounds easily.   If scared they can kill or disable a person without meaning to.   Just this past weekend I was at the farm with Louie (my horse) and I hopped on him with just his halter and...