When I started writing this column almost three years ago, my hope was that, as well as everyone enjoying the stories, at least a few readers would learn something from each of the people written about that they could apply to their own lives.

I still believe that is happening but I seldom hear about it. Perhaps it will just take more time.

Witness something last week's Neighbourhood Hero, told me about at the "Finding the Hero Within" workshop You may recall that Joy Hunter and her husband, Keith, had rented five acres of a seventy-five acre farm north of Toronto and spent years developing a go-cart and lawn maintenance business. They had rented the property with a promise that as soon as the farm could be subdivided, they would be given first opportunity to buy the five acres.

Instead, after twenty-seven years, the entire farm was sold, including the go track and the two buildings they had built, and they were told to move on leaving everything behind.

As difficult as it was, they ended up moving to Nanaimo and buying a small farm on Jinglepot Road where among other things, they keep Joy's horse and a few others.

Life has turned out to be nothing short of a wonder-filled dream, ever since.

Twelve years ago, soon after they moved here from Ontario, Joy was riding along a nearby road when a woman in a car slowed down beside her, explained that she too had a horse, that she was in the process of moving to Nanaimo and that she was looking for a good fierier.

After getting advice on a fierier and exchanging names and phone numbers, Terri Lynn Weller, drove off with a promise that she would call soon and arrange to go for a ride with Joy.

Good to her word, Terri Lynn called a week or so later and arranged to ride over to Joy's farm and go for a trail ride. Unfortunately on the way, her horse was spooked by a garbage can beside the road, jumped out of the way and injured himself.

Terri Lynn dismounted and walked him the rest of the way.

To make a long story short, the horse ended up spending several days recovering in a stall in Joy's barn. When he had finally improved enough to go back home, Terri Lynn came to pick him up and asked how much she owed Joy for boarding the horse.

"Nothing," said Joy. "Next time you get a chance, pass on the favour."

With that comment, although their friendship grew over the years, Joy forgot all about the incident until ten years later when Terri Lynn mentioned that she had never forgotten what Joy had said and that she and her husband were still passing on that favour every chance they got.

Wow!

The response to last week's column about Joy and Keith came much more quickly however. The second person Joy met after it was published took her aside to say how much the column had inspired her.

For months and perhaps years, she and her partner have been longing to open a bed and breakfast on the east coast but hadn't yet because the whole venture was incredibly scary.

But then, she said, after reading Joy's story, they have decided to go for it. They figure if things could turn out so wonderfully well for Joy and Keith, the same could happen for them ... and I bet it does.

A few days later, Joy also learned that Mary Croft, the Life Skills teacher at Woodlands Secondary School, is using Joy's column to prove to her students that you really can overcome adversity.

Near stuff huh?