I received a call from Michelle a client who wanted me to contact her father who had passed away two years ago. He (Frank) was very close to Judy ,as was her twelve-year-old son, Toby. I explained to her that this was not a regular psychic reading, but mediumship, channeling someone who has passed, which I told her I could do.

As is my custom, I was about to ask for his name, age when he passed and his birthday, when I heard a booming voice say: "Protect him. Protect him at all costs!"

Immediately I knew it was Judy's father, Frank. Usually when a spirit comes in without my sending out a message, there is an urgency to the message. That was further indicated to me because Frank's voice was booming, almost as if he was concerned his message would not be heard.

Judy immediately corroborated my theory. "Yes," she said, "that would be my father. He was always worried about Toby. His father verbally abused him, and was the reason for our divorce. " Once Frank knew his daughter had indeed received the message, I felt his spirit calm down. He really was in Toby's corner protecting him, even in spirit.

Judy then went on to explain that there were problems dividing her father's estate. Her brother Bill was unhappy with the settlement, even though Judy had followed the letter of the law with her father's will.

"Tell him: 'Take it or leave it!' " her father blurted out! It was so fast I didn't even know that I said it.

I could hear Michelle let out a gasp of surprise on the other end of the phone. "That was one of my father's favorite sayings: 'Take it or leave it!' Knowing she had her father's approval, Judy was able to feel relieved because she had the confirmation she needed to adhere to the stipulations in his will.

What exactly is a vision? The dictionary would define it as "the act of power of imagination." When you apply vision to a future event, you can create a mental picture that can be used to direct your thoughts and actions. Vision serves as a guide to plan your future with imagination, wisdom and direction. It is one of the reasons people create pictorial vision boards of their future. Then they can stare at the visual images daily to help them imagine the future they want to create for themselves.

For this reason, I feel compelled to write about my neighbor John. In my estimation, he is the all-time poster boy for creating and fulfilling his vision.

John had told us about his vision for his backyard. He wanted to create a 15 by 15 foot blue stone patio for his backyard, surrounded by an old-fashioned New England granite stone wall. It was to be complete with a running water sink, an outdoor barbecue kitchen, built into a brick cabinet. Rule 1) Notice how specific John was with the details of his vision. The more detailed the vision the more apt the visioner is able to create it.

The problem was that John's vision didn't match the topography of his back yard. It was unevenly sloped away from the house and not at all the same depths. So, John had to create a "subvision" for himself of how to create his original vision on what would be solid ground. Thank goodness he is a civil engineer, so that he knew what he was doing. This brings me to part two of manifesting and creating a successful vision.: 2) He didn't back away from his vision no matter how difficult he thought the task was. This involved his staking out his yard with wooden poles and string so he could measure the different depths. Then he rented a Denny Dumpster and filled the whole thing with dirt down to a depth of about 18 inches, digging out the whole thing by hand! He even used a pick axe multiple times to remove rocks. I know because my house shook with my morning tea when he was out there at 6:30 am, determined to complete his task. This brings me to rule 3:) Never give up on your vision, no matter how much time and effort it takes. Just put your head down and be resolute in what you are going to accomplish.

After that, John had to personally build a 15 by 15 foot huge granite stone wall. Some of the boulders weighed hundreds of pounds. John communicated and connected with his boulders, giving them names: Proud Lucy, Giant Jethrow, Piglet Peggy. This brings me to rule 4) Get your energy personally involved in your vision.

Next, John had to lay down the cement foundation for his barbecue and tamp down the remaining dug out soil so that it would be even and have no sinkholes for the bluestone. Only then will he lay the bluestone and install the barbecue. This has been a formidable task taking him over a year to near completion. That brings me to rule 5) Have patience with yourself and never give up on your vision, no matter how long it takes.

I have had the privilege to watch John building his vision. It also gave me pause for thought about how long our Olympiads have had to achieve their vision--years of hard work and practice. It has given me courage to never give up on mine. I hope it will do the same for you