E’leese Madgett Manrique is 12 years old. Today she will be leaving Buffalo, Minnesota for a ride around the state of Minnesota.  She’ll be riding her horse Chips and Salsa, who she calls Chip.  Her ride will end on August 31, 2008.  She will be raising money to start a ranch to be used by returning soldiers to rest and recuperate for a week by relaxing or using “The Ranch” in the manner of their choice.  E’leese has her own WordPress blog and her own website that you can visit to learn more about this ride and this cause that you can help support.

E’leese is quite an articulate and caring 12 year old.  She wants to help returning soldiers recover from some of their pain from the sacrafices they’ve made.  Go to her site at www.onegirloneride.com for more detailed information on the ride and how you can help E’leese make her dream of helping soldiers come true.  You can also find a route map for her ride, find the link to her blog, and learn how to donate to this cause at her website. 

Meanwhile we’re looking forward to a nice Saturday.  Out for breakfast in a bit.  God’s blessings to all today and always.  We especially recognize the many high school graduates that are celebrating their graduations and planning the rest of their lives.  What an exciting and somewhat scary time for them!  We wish them all great success.

Another thought right now is ‘the price of gasoline.’  Can we find ways to not use so much of this commodity?  One suggestion is to set aside the amount of each gas purchase in a separate account and in effect your outlay is 2X the current price.  This is a way to bring home something closer to the true value of all our limited quantity commodities.  Now think of a way to use this new account in a way that helps us reduce our wasteful use of precious commodities.  Your suggestion comments are welcomed here.