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I Fell Off A Cliff (Literally) And Into My Life!

They call it Meditation Rock, I call itme and in the meantime life wasn't giving me
Miracle Rock. Beautiful, serene and theany breaks. That special young man got
perfect place to sit quietly, read and pray.engaged (and not to me), my grandfather
That's just what I did - until I fell off it.passed away and my uncle committed suicide. I
It was a twenty three foot drop with awas a wreck. Totally and completely
rock-solid landing. Ten broken bones, threedepressed. I did find a job I had wanted
broken teeth, four years and a whole new lifeall my life - a youth director. But, I was
later I'm ready to tell my story.Long ago Iso discouraged that I couldn't keep it up. I
knew I wanted to be a camp counselor in thehad no idea what to do with my life. Once
spectacular mountains of Colorado. I wasn't aagain I found myself questioning God.I began
big fan of my college. The only thing Ito make lists of things that I loved. A funny
liked about it was the giant bean bag chairthing came to mind. Bean Bag Chairs. I was
that I crashed on in my dorm. I had to getinfatuated with the huge bean bag chair I had
out of there. I applied to the perfect campin college. I even got a job selling them my
and sat by the phone for weeks waiting for mysophomore year. Every time I thought about
acceptance call. Rejection was not what Iwhat I wanted to do for a living the word
expected, but it is what I got. Angry at Godbean bag popped into my head. Though it felt
I begrudgingly headed to a smaller camp incrazy, I decided to call my old boss and tell
Maine - a state I hadn't heard of since myhim how I was feeling. He suggested that I
6th grade geography class. Little did I knowstart selling his bean bag chairs in Maine
I would fall in love...with Maine, with Mattfor a 20% commission. I gave it a try. That
and with the Lord. Let's start with theChristmas I decided to sell the bean bags at
Lord. We met at Chop Point camp. We had beena small strip mall. I set up a tiny little
acquaintances for a long time, but it wasbusiness in a back corner. The business
there that our true relationship began. I'dconsisted of one employee (me) and three bean
wake up early, drudge my way up a windy pathbag chairs. Then Matt came along. Again.
and crawl under Meditation Rock. There wereHe just happened to be an artist and somewhat
a lot of jagged rocks under Meditation rockof a perfectionist. He encouraged me fix up
but there was one smooth, flat rock that wasthe corner, build print business cards and
perfect for quiet times. That is, of course,pricelists. He also began (or maybe I should
when the tide was out - otherwise it wassay continued) to pursue me relentlessly.
covered in water. It was there, on thatOver time I noticed some pretty amazing
special rock that I discovered the Word wasqualities in Matt. These qualities won my
living and active and that, it applied to myheart. We have been married for two years now
life! I visited this special spot regularlyand I'm still not sure when the honeymoon is
over the next four years. Speaking ofgoing to end. As our love grew, Heavenly Bean
special, a particular young man caught my eyeBags also blossomed. Eventually we started
one summer at Chop Point. One that I justmaking the bean bags in Maine and adding all
knew was the one for me. I'm told I calledsorts of new features (like removable,
his name out over and over when they found mewashable covers). We set up at the same
broken beneath the rock. He wasn't the man,little strip mall every Christmas Season.
however, that drove an hour every day for aAlthough the business venture kept us
month to visit me in the hospital. No, Iincredibly busy, we knew that Matt's art was
broke up with that man long ago. He wasn'ta talent that we did not want to let go of.
the one for me. I knew best.So there, I layMatt and I saved some money and made prints
beneath Meditation rock bleeding andof his work. We rented 40 feet of space from
murmuring this other young man's name overthe same little mall and started something
and over again. I'm told I whispered "help metotally new. We gathered the work of local
sweet Jesus" a few times between theChristian artists, including potters,
painfully embarrassing displays of emotion.photographers, jewelers, painters, stained
Over an hour later I was life-flighted to theglass artisans, and furniture makers (bean
Central Maine Medical Center where I underbags included) and sold them on consignment.
went 18 hours of surgery. I remember none ofWe fell in love with the idea of supporting
this. The first thing I remember is my friendChristian artists and now we are going to
Matt, the one I'd broken up with long ago,pursue it full time. Tomorrow, we're signing
sneaking me a sip of water when the doctorsa contract with the biggest mall in Maine,
were looking the other way. I was dying ofthe Maine Mall. We are opening our own store,
thirst and they would only give me ice chips!Genesis Guild. Genesis Guild will specialize
I spent more than a month in the hospital. Iin Maine Crafted Home Decor items made by
was blessed to be alive. Somehow,Christians!So here I am at two o'clock in the
miraculously, I did not land on themorning thinking over what God has done in my
dangerously jagged rocks, but on the one flatlife over the past four years. I had it all
rock I had spent so much time on. Not onlyfigured out. I was going to a camp in
that, but the angle of the rock I landed onColorado, working with youth and marrying
leaned toward the water. I managed to roll"the man of my dreams". But God had a
up the rock. I should have rolled off anddifferent plan. I went to a camp in Maine,
drowned. I did however, shatter my knee,fell off Miracle rock, married a wonderful
break my femur in three places, destroy my(but real) man, started a bean bag business
hip, crush my wrist and spit out a few piecesand am about to open a store in the biggest
of my back teeth (into Matt's hands). But, Imall in Maine! Although it was incredibly
was alive and had no damage to my head, neckhard at times, I thank God that I fell off a
or back. The recovery period was still quitecliff and into my life!Valerie Lecher's life
the process. It took years. People thought Ichanged dramatically when she fell off a
would get depressed right away, but I didn't.cliff a few years ago. She now owns and
I was surrounded by loving family and friendsoperates and has her own store at the Maine
for months. Then my world began to fallMall in Portland, Maine.
apart. The reality of the recovery time hit



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