“Can I talk to Karen?” Randy asked, sounding out of breath.
“Really. Uh-huh. Wow! Okay, I’ll be right over,” Karen got more excited, with each passing second.
“The rescue arrived. Randy says she’s pretty frightened. See you later,” Karen said over her shoulder as she slipped out the door.
I ran to the side porch, looked across the sprawling lawn to watch Karen breeze through a small passage way in the shrubs that separated our yard from Randy’s.
The horse that Randy took in was one of 40 who survived a horse rescue. Over 60 horses had been abandoned by a husband and wife, who had been arrested countless times for animal cruelty. They had been traveling to Mexico to sell the horses, but when the economy dipped and gas prices rose, they dumped the horses in an isolated area with no food or water.
Sadly, by the time volunteer rescuers had been alerted that a herd had been abandoned in the high desert of Oregon, far too many had perished.
When Karen returned home hours later, I knew her heart was broken. Lyric, the Paint horse Randy was fostering, was as close to dead as she could be. Barely skin and bones it would take time to get her healthy enough to eat without having her intestines twist. For a horse to colic is one of the worst things that can happen, especially one as weak as Lyric.
Over the next few weeks, Karen spent every spare minute she could at Randy’s. Slowly, ever so slowly, they gained Lyric’s trust.
Within a short period of time, Lyric began to gain weight, fill out and show signs that she had life growing inside of her.
“Lyric is going to have a baby,” Karen excitedly ran into the house late one evening.
“What a miracle for her to have lived through that ordeal and not have a miscarriage,” I hugged Karen with excitement.
“There’s a good chance the foal won’t be healthy. After all, look at what Lyric’s been through,” Karen sighed deeply.
During one of her regular visits with Randy to work with Lyric, Karen met a woman, whose path she had unknowingly already crossed.
Sandy, a slightly built, but muscular, tanned woman with shoulder-length, blonde hair topped with a well-worn cowboy hat talked about the nonprofit she started years before.
“We do what we can to save as many horses as possible, and yet, it seems we can never do it all,” Sandy told Karen. “One of our greatest obstacles is money. For every horse we rescue, there are plenty of others we never hear about. The initial costs for the vet bills, medicine and feed is overwhelming.”
“I’ve been sending money to a horse rescue. I can donate some to yours,” Karen assured Sandy.
“The one I run is Emerald Valley Equine Assistance Horse Rescue” Sandy said.
“Oh my gosh!” Karen excitedly said, as she hugged Sandy. “That’s the one I’ve been donating to.”
“Is your last name Noel?” Sandy asked.
“It is! It is!” Karen grew more excited by the minute. “This is amazing. What a miracle to meet you right near my own backyard. I want to do more to help.”
With that a friendship began between two spitfire women, whose passion and love for horses was evident to anyone who met them.
“Would you ever want to come on a rescue with me?” Sandy asked with anticipation.
“Would I? Would I?” Karen’s voice raised with excitement. “Anytime you want, you call me!” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I want to do whatever I can to help.”
For as long as I can remember, Karen’s passion has been being a voice for the horses, which have no voice. Because she simply did what she was called to do, by donating money to an organization she believed was there to help, she was now being given the opportunity to step further into her purpose.
I watched in awe as Karen and Randy tirelessly worked day in and day out to gain Lyric’s trust. It wasn’t just about Lyric anymore. Soon a foal would drop. It was essential to the wellbeing of the foal to be able to connect with Lyric enough to get close to the baby.
As the day grew near, Karen insisted Randy call her when Lyric began labor. No matter day or night, Karen wanted to see the miracle foal.
“I’ll be right over,” Karen quickly said as she hopped out of bed at 3 a.m.
Pulling her coat on as she ran out the door Karen looked over her shoulder, “I have no idea when I’ll be home.”
Within minutes she was out the door, flashlight in hand, running over to the pasture. By the time she arrived, a tiny black foal with white spots all over his body was struggling to stand up. Within minutes he rose, legs shaking like a mini earthquake had entered his body.
With each step, the foal grew more confident. Soon he found his way to his mama for his first chance at a real meal.
Glancing back at the life she created, Lyric kept a close eye on the miracle baby.
“I was able to touch the foal,” Randy whispered to Karen.
Karen lay down in the field next to Randy and the foal. “Go ahead, touch him. I’ve named him Dustin,” the gentle cowboy kept his voice as low as possible glancing Karen’s way.
The clock read 6 a.m., when I heard the back door open. I quickly got dressed, went down the stairs to the kitchen to find out more.
“It was the most amazing thing. I touched the foal’s feet, and they were soft as jelly,” Karen quietly said.
Around 8 a.m. she went back to Randy’s. “Are you going to keep him?” Karen asked him.
“I can’t? We have our limit. I was thinking you should have him. That is if Sandy’s organization approves your application,” Randy responded.
“Don’t you want him?” Karen couldn’t believe her ears. Secretly she had told me she would love to have the foal, but was sure Randy would take him. 
“I’m really at my limit. And you love him. That’s evident. I’m sure the paperwork will be simply a formality. Sandy knows you. You’ve already shown what kind of person you are by the donations you’ve made, the time you spent here with Lyric and the way you take care of your other horses. I know Sandy would want you to have the foal.”
“Dustin. I love his name. Dustin.” Karen gently said his name.
As expected, the paperwork was simply a formality. When Dustin was ready to be separated from his mom, he came to our home.
That was nearly six years ago. Today, Dustin is a happy member of our family. Although he’s really lucky to have found such a great home, Karen and I both feel lucky we have him.
In hindsight, I can see that it was all meant to be. The irony is that Karen’s adopting Dustin had been in play for a long time before he was even born.
By Karen being who she is, with her love of horses, her integrity, her willingness to help out and her unstoppable passion, all of this spoke volumes for who she is, when Sandy said: “We would be honored to have you adopt Dustin. The paperwork is simply a formality.”
It’s amazing how far in advance, opportunities or challenges take shape. What starts in the invisible eventually becomes very visible. I see this in business all the time.
Earlier today I had lunch with a trusted colleague. A few days ago I had referred a potential client to her.
“I really appreciate you referring Tim to me,” she said over lunch.
“It was a no brainer. You’ve shown me who you are. I feel completely confident in referring people to you. I know you will take good care of the relationship.”
That’s when I shared the story of how Dustin became a member of our fur-baby family. Over the years, Karen and I have adopted many animals. But Dustin was different in that there was a rigid process someone unknown to Sandy would have had to go through. But because Karen’s unwavering actions revealed her true character, there was never a question Dustin was ours.
It’s the same in business. What you do today can either open up opportunity or make it slip away. When someone shows me they are a person of their word, they love what they do, they invest in their own development and business, they take great care of their clients, and they respect others, I’m all for referring clients to them.
On the other hand, if they show through their actions they are not to be trusted, I can’t, and I won’t, refer people to them.
Recently, I had an amazing opportunity show up for me and my business. As I trace the steps to how everything came to be around this situation, I realize it wasn’t the words I spoke that told the story, but rather the actions I took, the attitude I choose to maintain on a daily basis, the passion I have and the agreements I keep that opened a huge door for me.
It’s amazing how many people fail to realize this. It has been said: “Your actions speak so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying!”
Don’t let your short-term thinking limit your long-term success. If you are only looking at what you can see today and not visioning the possibility of tomorrow, you are blocking your abundance.
This goes for every single action you take today. Are you making decisions that are not in integrity with the person you know yourself to be because fear has set in based on the present circumstances?
As Joel Osteen of Joel Osteen Ministries continually says: “In the natural, our life may seem limited. In the supernatural (God’s – Higher Power – Source), all is conspiring for your highest good.”
In the natural, you must know that what you do each and every minute is evidence of your trust of what is to come or fear based on your own limiting thinking.
Trust, have faith, do the right thing, and know that you are destined for greatness.
What do you believe to be true about our actions speaking louder than words? Comments welcome. Feel free to share this post with others by clicking the Social Media Share Buttons below.
