Hi, Kiddo! Come on in and have a seat. I am preparing for a performance but I would love to talk to you while I am getting ready. Is that OK with you? I hope so, because I have something on my mind I would like to share with you. I was hoping you would show up.

One of the things I wanted you to know… and you can take this to the bank… you better believe it when Boom-Boom tells you “Your life is a show.” And I know all about shows. I’ve seen a thing or two, and I have had some hard knocks along the way. I learned some lessons! I could pass them on to you if you are truly interested.

You are?

OK, great… then… indeed your life is a show… and the show must go on! It is kind of like a “hot date”… you just gotta’ show up!

The theater is not huge, but adequate, and after months of preparation, you are ready for the show to go on. You have been given a few “gratuity tickets” for the performance and you have distributed them. The moment has arrived, the curtain is going up… are you ready? You have on all your stage makeup and it is easy to get caught up in all the razzle-dazzle! You have agonized hours over perfecting every detail and now the spotlight is on you. You are front and center… this is the defining moment! The real deal!

As you gaze out into the audience, who did you put in your front row? Are they worthwhile? Who is in the back row and who is in the upper balcony? And may I ask… where did you seat God?

Are you satisfied with your decisions?

It was one of those infamous, dark, dreary, damp and cold Michigan afternoons. A day only a Michigander could define as “normal” and be satisfied! It was Monday, so that means that the one and only, Ms. LaRue, was in attendance at the ongoing “Magic Show” at Doorway to Recovery. As a matter of fact, this particular performance included a sumptuous chocolate cake, loaded with fat and calories just begging to be eaten and added to the circumference of any waist that happened to pass by! It was a birthday celebration for the head magician and abra-ca-dabra… just like that he was another year older! The cake was a gourmet addition to the event.

Suddenly Boom-Boom realized there was a small, very unusual book lying on the desk where she sat consuming cake. The book had never been there in prior meetings. It’s cover was made of beautifully burnished olive wood that had been polished to a silky smooth finish. It had an unusual artistic design burned onto the front cover, and the back cover simply had the word Jerusalem burned into it. It was far from elaborate and had an almost primitive allure. It seemed to be inviting someone to pick it up. It looked sacred, and was truly intriguing! What was this book about? What secrets did it hold? This profoundly simple yet strangely unique work of art was compelling, and Boom-Boom felt obliged to pick it up and hold it. It was so handsome on the outside. It was smooth and it seemed as though it was always meant to be there. This little treasure had recently been presented to Mr. Burchell in appreciation for the guidance he had given the giver’s sister. She had come from Colorado to present it to him, but the book originated in Jerusalem. It was indeed special… gorgeous to look at and comforting to hold while gently rubbing the cover. However, upon closer inspection, it proved to be even more beautiful and compelling on the inside. The outside, unbelievably, became almost irrelevant once the contents were revealed. The true meaning and beauty came from within and it overshadowed everything else… everything! It was the New Testament! You will find absolute truth and beauty within it’s pages. Absorb it!

Although the outer beauty initially attracted attention, it was the material contained within that was truly compelling and profound! Like you, it is what’s inside that really counts! This book will captivate you. You are a Divine Being, and as such, let the truth and beauty from this book radiate from you. Live by this book and that force will be a guiding light for those around you. A beacon of hope! They will take notice.

So, now that particular book has taken up residence there on the desk as a visual reminder of the precious privilege we have… the privilege of having constant access to God and His word. It is free and it will free you. Help yourself! Boom-Boom knows where it’s at!

My friends at Doorway to Recovery and I hope that the wonders of that first Christmas will be with you throughout this holy season and always!

We also hope the coming new year will bring you and your family the blessings of opportunity, peace, hope, good health, and love.

Give yourself a gift and wrap yourself in His Word. Believe it and live it! Cherish life. Keep gratitude and kindness with you as close companions, and share these beautiful virtues every day. Someone generously did that for me when I received the following message. Now I would love to share it with you… pass it on! We all want to thank you for being a passenger on this… our train! God bless you!

 

TRAVELING BY TRAIN

A Story of Life

At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel at our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone. As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life. Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don’t realize they vacated their seats. This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way - - love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

We wish you a joyful journey on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love. More importantly, thank God for the journey. Lastly, we thank you for being one of the passengers on our train.

Hi… It is so nice to see you again. As I promised, I am meeting you here to share some of the magic secrets I have learned at Doorway to Recovery. Would you like to know what brought me there? Well, I wandered in the front door seeking some much needed direction with my then 23 year old grandson who was serving yet another prison sentence. I carefully lugged in a large cauldron of simmering, toxic emotions, known as my mind! The situation had reached a crisis level and it was slowly eroding away my emotional foundation.

The fire under this simmering pot was fueled by guilt. The guilt was constantly being stroked by inappropriate thoughts, which led to inappropriate and irrational behaviors. It finally boiled over, affecting my very being and daily existence. I was slowly being poisoned by my own thoughts and actions. I was stewing in my own juice! It was violent, sad and crippling!

Further, I was the World Champion Enabler, which I had honed into a fine art! I grew up with an alcoholic father and Grandfather, and alcoholic step-mother and stepfather, 7 of my 9 uncles were raging alcoholics and eventually my dear mother became drug addicted. Her drug of choice was Percodan! They all, every one of them, died from a direct connection to their addictions. And yes, I am unfortunately all too familiar with the blood, the guts, the mud, the tears, the beer, the fights and abuse, more martinis and lots of Percodan! These things, and worse, always keep close company with addiction.

In the middle of all this chaos and depravity, I contracted a nasty virus which left me paralyzed from the neck down. I did eventually recover, but only after months of painful and lonely rehabilitation built around the philosophy of “never give up, never quit, never say you can’t, and I can fix anything!” How about that for perfect training for a lifetime of enabling! I proved I was a star pupil… teachers pet! The clouds were gathering… the perfect storm was approaching!

Fast forward to many years later and there I was standing on the doorstep of Doorway to Recovery with a heavy load of baggage. I had showed up for the 3:00 performance of the Mark Burchell Magic Show! I was filled with elation to have found this resource as I fully expected, it would be here, that I would finally uncover the one thing that I must have overlooked that would be the magic to “fix” everything, including my grandson! I reasoned that this magic show would pull that information and instructions out of a hat, and my eternal and destructive search for a “fix” would finally end!

Needless to say, I got the shock of my life… but I was not disappointed! The magic proved to be nothing at all like what I was expecting… illusion was transformed into reality. What a relief… and one of the secrets of this magic show was how to spell “relief”… it is spelled B-I-B-L-E! Read it and live it! I also learned some of the tricks to a more balanced life… I gained my emotional eyesight back and it came with an excellent GPS system to navigate life and all the perils. I also gained a magnificent personal bonus, a gift of a lifetime, but I will share that particular information when we meet again. It is a story in and of itself!

The following is some of the magic I would like to begin to share with you, more will follow! This is just the beginning. I have found this to be of great value… it is tucked into my brain for future use! This magic appeared, seemingly out of nowhere during the magic show… abracadabra… it will work for you too!

+ Never make a decision based on guilt!

+ Never postpone joy!

+ Emphasize the part of life you can control – lifestyle and mental attitude! You can only control you!

+ Don’t do anything until you are asked, and then decide if you can do it, should you do it, and do you want to do it?

+ Love should not be crippling. Some detachment is a healthy, neutral place to be.

+ Fear and worry are not the same. Fear is put in us by God and needs to be addressed. Worry has no purpose and can be set aside. We create our own worry.

+ If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.

+ Open your heart, unconditionally, and let Christ in! Seek and follow His word… enjoy the magic!

More magic tips will appear in our next meeting. The joy is in the seeking… the misery is in the denial!

 

Until we meet again,

 

Boom Boom LaRue

Hi, my name is Bonnie, (alias Boom Boom LaRue) and I have been wandering into a magic show every Monday for a year! It was there that I discovered all who wander are not necessarily lost! I would like to share some of this magic with you. We could meet right here, at your convenience, and share some of these secrets, tell you about the Lost and Found Department, and the magnificent gift of a lifetime that was bestowed upon me.

I understand how valuable your time is, so we will keep our time together worth your while. Brenda Dela Casa, author and blogger, once said, “Use your time wisely, even when you are alone in the space of your own mind.” Looking forward to our rendezvous. I will be here… will you?