I have a very tough job to do today but first I wanted to share some cool, exciting news.
Sixty-five years ago Guideposts began as an eight-page booklet distributed to a few thousand subscribers from an office in Pawling, New York, published and edited by Norman Vincent Peale and his wife, Ruth. Norman Peale became world famous eight years later when he wrote a book called The Power of Positive Thinking that would go on to sell 30 million copies worldwide and change the lives of countless people even to this day. The circulation of Guideposts has grown to over two million with a monthly readership of more than seven million people, making it one of the most popular magazines in the world.
Dr. Peale used more than just books and magazines to spread his inspiring message and share inspirational stories of everyday people facing their lives with hope, faith and the power of prayer. He was a pioneer in the use of radio and TV, reaching huge and loyal audiences across North America with these new media platforms. If Norman were alive today I’m sure he’d be on Twitter and Facebook. Ruth definitely would be.
Following in the innovative footsteps of our founders, we have tried to keep Guideposts at the forefront in a rapidly changing media landscape. Obviously if you are reading this blog you are a user of digital technology. You are either seeing it on Facebook or at Guideposts.com. We are extremely grateful to our digital customers which is why I’m excited to tell you that you can now get Guideposts magazine in a variety of digital formats: find us at the Zinio newsstand, on the Barnes and Noble nook (a digital reader) or download the newest issue of the magazine to your iPad or iPhone.
In addition to the complete print magazine you will enjoy add-ons such as slideshows, video, author interviews and much more content that we can’t fit in the print version of the magazine, where paper and postal costs constrain us. I was so blown away by the iPad version of Guideposts that I immediately went out and got an iPad.
So now on to my onerous task for the day: Millie needs a bath…not that she would agree with me. There is no high-tech solution to wrestling a 95-pound Golden Retriever in the basement bathtub and scrubbing her down while she looks miserable, put-upon and attempts an escape every time she senses I’ve let my guard down, occasionally succeeding causing me to chase her around the basement until I can tackle her and drag her back to the tub.
It will be an ordeal that will eventually find me lying exhausted and drenched facedown on the basement floor while Millie prances around, shaking the towel I use to dry her with like it was all the towel’s fault. When it’s over we’ll both feel better, though. And fortunately she is a very forgiving dog. Tomorrow we’ll go for a nice long hike early in the morning.
