I began reading The Secret in the airport the night I was returning home from a business trip. On the plane, I’d reached the section where readers are urged to imagine themselves driving the car of their dreams. I tried to envision the steering wheel with the emblem of the Jaguar, but a Porsche emblem kept appearing in my mind. Finally, I realized that the car I kept visualizing was the Porsche my husband always dreamed of owning.

I created it in my mind clearly: its color both inside and out; its perfectly preserved exterior and interior; its highly maintained mechanics. I knew that the car we could afford was a 1997 model. At the time that would have made it ten years old. I also knew that most cars with so many years under their seat belts would be more than showing their age. Yet I continued to envision this decade-old car as if it were brand-new, straight down to the mileage.

As I was envisioning all this, I found myself thinking of something I wanted much more – a renewed relationship with my son-in-law, Brandon. Tension and distance had come between us as my daughter’s dream wedding turned into a very rocky marriage. As a result, he and I had barely spoken in more than five months.

I told myself that I wanted an opportunity to meet with him alone, not to discuss their marriage but simply to listen and let him know I cared for him very much and believed in his ability to succeed.

As the plane landed, I was so excited about what I’d read in The Secret that I couldn’t wait to share it with my husband.

The next morning, I took my daughter and nephew out to breakfast. In the restaurant, my daughter got a call on her cell phone, and looking very surprised, she handed me the phone and said, “It’s Brandon. He wants to talk to you.”

Brandon, who a month before had taken a sales position with a local car dealer, told me he remembered that Ted, my husband, once said he’d love to have a Porsche Boxster. Then he excitedly began to describe this very unusual car that had arrived on his lot just that morning. There had been only one previous owner, who’d been very meticulous and driven it no more than a couple of blocks a day for the last ten years. Brandon used the term showroom perfect as he described this car that was just as I’d created it in my mind the night before. Needless to say, I told him not to let anyone near it, and I’d be right there.

When I arrived, it was truly the car – the color, showroom perfect, with fewer than 5,000 miles on it! I told him that I’d have to show it to Ted, who I was sure would be delighted, and Brandon said he was sure that would not be a problem as he asked for my driver’s license and went to get the keys.

When he returned, he reported that his manager had only one stipulation: Brandon would have to accompany me on the two-and-a-half-hour trip to and from my husband’s restaurant.

I was truly amazed: Both my requests had been manifested in less than twenty-four hours. My husband was receiving the car of his dreams, and on that drive to the restaurant, Brandon and I were healing a relationship that was very important to both of us.

Since that night on the airplane, I have given copies of the book to our dearest friends; we are filling our Gratitude Journals daily, and Brandon has the audio in his car as I write.