's motd Aug 30, 2008

[Guest guest]

MY SECRET PASTIME

Saturday, 30 August 2008

When I was about ten years-old, I went to go visit the magic store on Royal Street in New Orleans' French Quarter. The man who owned the store was a very sweet and funny man named Mr. Wilkins. Whenever you walked in, he'd greet you with a big smile and he loved to demonstrate some of the store's magic items to you. Oh I just loved that store!

I would go in every couple of weeks to buy something to drive either my parents or my brother just crazy! You know, like the pen with the disappearing ink or some of that plastic "poo-poo." Oh, you did the same thing?Mr. Wilkins greeted me one day as I walked into the store, "Milton! I have something very special for you that I just got in. It's a crystal ball and it's very old. It really works. Here take a look. If you want it, I'll let you have it for only ten dollars."He brought the crystal ball out to show me and with that one look, I knew I had to have it! I had been saving my allowance money for my trip to the magic store and had enough to buy it. I took my little crystal ball with me and just couldn't wait to try it out when I got home!At home, alone in my room, I took my crystal ball out of the box. It sat in a little metal stand that had little legs. The legs of the stand reminded me of little curvy, carved snakes. It was a little on the ornate side. I sat there on my bed staring into it and then began rubbing the crystal ball with the palms of my hands.

And, (gasp!), I could actually see things in it, too! I could see things from my life in my future as I gazed into the ball. Really, I thought my ten year-old mind was just playing tricks on me at first. But that couldn't have been it because I kept seeing the same things each time I gazed into the ball! I finally put my crystal ball away because, to tell you the truth, it really began to spook me a little bit!When I left home and went away to college, I forgot all about my crystal ball and it ended up in a box, tucked away in our attic. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, (three years ago yesterday, in fact), my brother, Lenny, was cleaning out the attic of our old home. And while he was cleaning, he found the box that stored my old crystal ball! He called me one day and let me know.

"Dicky, I found a box in that attic that belongs to you. Remember that old crystal ball you had when you were a kid? Well, that's what in the box. I'll be sending it to you in Los Angeles."Well, a week later, the box arrived with my old crystal ball inside! I rushed up to my bedroom with it, just like when I was a kid. I took it out of the box and oh, did the childhood memories ever come rushing back! It looked as charming as it did the first day I'd bought it. Hello little snake legs!I dimmed the lights in my bedroom as I sat in my bed with my old friend, gazing into my crystal ball once again, for the first time in so many years! But you know what? This time, I did not see my future...I saw yours! And I must say, it was a pretty fantastic future for you, too! Now, sit...sit...as I tell you what I saw in your future. You'll like this!

I saw you at your ideal weight. I saw you in a clothing store trying on some cute outfits that looked really great on you. I saw you at the beach looking so adorable in your little Beach Blanket Bingo bikini! You were swimming and playing in the water. You were laughing, looking up at a cloudless sky and just having so much fun. As I continued gazing, I saw you taking a walk and, after getting home, you went into the kitchen and began making a healthy salad for yourself. I saw you at peace with yourself about your weight, for the first time in your life. Oh, what a wonderful new life I saw for you!Now that I've told you what I've seen in your future, you need to start seeing and working to create that kind of future for yourself. So please look into the crystal ball and make the commitment to have that happy, healthier future.It's waiting for you...my crystal ball doesn't lie!

A very important P.S...Please keep New Orleans and all of the Gulf Coast in your prayers with this new hurricane, Gustav, headed their way.Love,