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"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." Eleven years ago, I was so knocked down, I saw no other way out than to tell God that I no longer needed Him in my life. "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me to still waters..." What I needed, but didn't realize yet, was the Shadow of God's goodness in my life... "He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake..." Enter: one horse, "Shadow;" one man, Guy Kaufman; and a mission to save others who were like him, like me and like so many others who'd entered through those gates... sick and tired of being sick and tired. Remember, nothing changes if nothing changes! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me..." Changing Gaits Ranch, established in 2004, is still seeking--and saving--souls from the misery of the hell so many are dealing with: drugs, alcoholism, emotional abuse and disorders, veterans with PTSD and so much more. This faith-based ranch uses horses to re-establish a peace-filled co-existence with God. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies, Thou anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over." Much has changed in fifteen years, but the goal is still the same: to restore sanity in those for whom insanity has become a sad, daily ritual. By changing the habits that brings people to their knees, not only their own life, but the lives of those around them also changes! "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever!" Psalm 23 Too blessed to be stressed...when God leads the way, how can one ever stay lost?

"Me 'n you against the world, Ma," Ritchie always reminded his mother when she tucked him into bed at night. He needed his Ma now, more than ever, and she was no longer there for him. Slowly, as the days went by, his young heart grew even more hardened. Then came the day when he was accused of murder and had to do time at a boys' home called Willow Pond. The lessons he learned there proved that he had much to give, yet needed to give up a lot more to prove himself a worthy person. Unfortunately, the relentless lure of a wild life that included drinking were too much of a strain on his young marriage, arranged for all the wrong reasons. His wife leaves him, taking their two young children with her. Continuing to live a wild and carefree existence, Ritchie loses everything and everyone that ever meant anything to him, including the one person who was willing to give him extra chances. Alone and desperate, he returns to the one place that had ever given him solace, only to find that it too, was abandoned. To confront the demons of the present means that he needs to go back to the past- the one that still haunts him at night. What answers lie at the end of the long gravel road, the one that takes Ritchie back to Willow Pond?

Was it by chance that Rachel Callahan answered an ad for help on a dairy farm in Luck, Wisconsin? Was it by choice that when Colt Shepard met her, the memories he still carried of Lizzy and the horseshoe she had given him haunted him so much that he left the farm for an uncertain future? Was it by chance that he won it all in a poker game, only to lose his freedom after a shooting cost one man his life? Was it by choice that Rachel kept up her vigil for the one man who had taken her heart? And would it be by chance that they might meet up again one day... Or would it be by choice?

Willow Pond Farm was a haven for Ritchie back when he was a lost, rebellious teenager. When he inherited it, it was his decision to continue to offer it as a safe haven for children in need of a place to stay... Summer and Sierra are two sisters whose horrific past culminates in their being removed from an abusive mother and placed into foster care at Willow Pond Farm. A chronic worrier, Summer has a secret fear that only increases her anxieties during her stay, while Sierra, feeling protective of her older sister, can only wonder what they did wrong to end up being taken away from the only home they have ever known in the first place. One night, Sierra encounters a stray coonhound dog whose elusive nature has her determined to win over his affections. It is during a tragic, but heroic rescue that the true nature of the dog she has named Atticus is revealed. Loyalty comes with a price, but who is the one willing to pay it...and endure the consequences?

"You're not good enough!" "You're nothing without me..." "When will you ever learn...?" "You're so ugly, no one else would have you!" "You're worthless as a human being!" It is said that actions speak louder than words. In Sara's world, they scream at her. They hurt her. They threaten her very existence! Sara's abusive past left her disillusioned enough to believe that getting married at 17 would be the stuff that dreams are made of. Instead, she finds herself living every woman's nightmare: an abusive relationship that once again has her counting the days until things can somehow be "normal." But when one has been abused all their life, what is considered normal...and how much can a person take before their spirit breaks? Despite the hurdles placed before her, Sara is determined not to let him win. Once her children are born, however, she realizes that she is in it for the duration. It is only after many years of daily reminders of how unworthy she is, that she realizes that courage is what will save her life.

Dakota is a Labrador retriever pup whose life began with abuse and neglect. Just when it seemed like she was doomed to a life of sadness, along came her hero in a boy named Alex.With Alex, she learns what trust is as they become best buddies, exploring the farm and the adventures that await them down the trail. That summer, a mysterious "something" has been discovered in the lake by Alex's house. Although the townsfolk in the small town of Hibbing, Minnesota speculate on what it could be, no one really knows...until Alex is confronted by it one hot, summer day.Although fearless, not even Dakota has faced a danger as bad as this in all her life. Can she protect the boy who has changed her life for the better?And just what IS in that lake that has everyone talking?

Alcoholism. It's a journey only those who have taken can understand. Imagine a life where your very existence is dependent upon drinking. At first, it begins as just having fun while partying...or maybe life's situations has forced you to drink to forget the pain. Soon, it becomes out of control. All or nothing. You know that to continue, you will lose everything you have...including sooner or later...your life - or someone else's. Yet the seductive lure of Lady Alcohol constantly calls your name. She is your mistress - your lover- the one you will give up everything else for, just to keep her in your life. These are the stories of those for whom alcohol overshadows their lives... It has stolen dreams, respect, marriages, relationships. It has taken some lives too soon, while others wait for the inevitable, drowning their sorrows as they tick off the minutes until death has come. Some are given a second chance...many are not as lucky. These are the stories you will remember... From a hell-raising life spent in a small town, to lives in residences for late stage chronic inebriates, to living homeless for many years waiting for that one small step out of despair, the common theme is simple... There, but for the grace of God, go I.

"Look at all of the things that were set in motion, just by you and I being together..." Abby spent much of her growing up years lost in the foster care system, struggling to survive. Now that she was eighteen, she had aged out of the system into the "real world." Except that she has very little trust in anyone, including herself. To her, the rest of her adult years span before her with very little hope for the future... Her mother had been a meth user most of Abby's growing up years. Every day was an uncertainty for little Abby, who wondered when her next meal would be, where would they live, why was mommy being taken away yet again by the cops and most importantly, how does one survive the unknown? As an adult, her resilience and determination to "never be like my mother was" gave her the courage needed to want to help other children who had been lost in the foster care system. It was through a chance encounter that she'd found someone from her mother's past who'd also been searching for her all along. Their reunion strengthened her resolve to want to be a positive influence to others. ******************************** Buddy had often wondered what had happened to his little Abby, and did his best to try and find her. It was only after meeting up with someone who had changed his own life for the better that things began to fall into place. ********************************* Tara was an author whose only desire when she began writing was to "help others." What she didn't know when she began that endeavor was just how true those words would become. Buddy...Tara...Abby...three people whose lives would intersect for better or worse. What was the likelihood of all of this coming together? And at just the right time it was needed?

A story of love, courage and determination. *** Post Traumatic Stress Disorder...back in 1918, it was known as shell shock. For Theodore Dahlgren, coming home to Morris, Minnesota from the Great War was a huge transition from wounded soldier back to small town farmer. Gone were the idyllic days of farm life on the prairie as he once knew it. In its place was a cold, dark hell from which he couldn't escape. *** For Clara Dahlgren, all of her best made plans were torn usunder. Seeing the love of her life rendered to doing nothing except drinking his life away, she was determined to save their farm and family- no matter what. Not war, or even the dreaded influenza that also struck during that time, could change that. *** As the winds of change sweep through the Minnesota prairie, lives are built up and torn apart, but Love always. remains

This is a sequel to the first novel, Patrick the Wayward Setter. It is football season and Jake gets hurt at a homecoming game. He decides to use Patrick as part of his rehabilitation therapy by walking him each day. Patrick still doesn't come when called, refuses to listen to commands, and generally makes Jake's life miserable. On Christmas eve, Jake decides to take Patrick on a longer walk than usual and the weather turns into a full-fledged snowstorm. Far from home, Jake has an accident and once again hurts his knee he has worked so hard to strengthen. He only has Patrick to help him. Can he trust Patrick to get help before he freezes from the cold, or will Patrick just continue to be a wayward setter? How does a seventeen-year-old boy trust a dog he never wanted in the first place?