2007 was definitely a challenging year for me and my family. I became the primary provider for us due to my husband John’s health issues. John was a stay at home father, but was working part-time doing physical labor with a friend to help bring in income in the spring, but had to stop due to herniated discs in his neck. To avoid bankruptcy, we cashed in our retirement funds and paid off a lot of bills and also set up a $1,000 emergency fund.

Doctors tried different treatments, including cortisone shots, before finally declaring that my husband John needed surgery in the fall. By this time things were getting tight again financially, due to us having to get a new air conditioner in August.

I read the Secret and saw the movie as well in the midst of all this and it helped my spirits tremendously. Whenever I would start to worry about who would take care of our boys, ages 5 and 7, after the surgery and how we were going to get through financially without John working so long, I just stayed positive. I simply trusted that all would work out.

I constantly entered contests, with most of the prizes being around $5,000, hoping to get some money to help us get through. I printed out the check from the Secret site as well and looked at it every day.

The surgery was November 27 and thankfully, a relative offered to stay with us during the first two weeks to help take care of John and our boys while I worked. She is truly an angel.

Then, at Christmas time, we went to visit my father-in-law Ron. There, at the bottom of our stocking, hidden in a Cracker Jack box, was a check for $5,000! I could barely speak and when it hit me a few minutes later, I finally cried. Turns out my father-in-law’s retirement funds had done well last year and he wanted to give John and his brother this money.

We paid off some more bills and now have our emergency fund back. John is about to launch a pet-sitting business and, after that, I’m starting a web site to help people live thrifty lifestyles.

I absolutely know with all my heart that we will be successful and be wealthy in the next few years. I look forward to sharing that wealth with people in need and also reaching our dreams!