THE MAGICAL PLACE

magical place

image courtesy of photobucket.com

The old Mexican brick pavers were far from level or even at the top of the walking surface. The cracked and discolored reddish pavers had been there a long time. I could tell at first glance that the area used to be an outside patio.

I was even more convinced of the patio theory when I surveyed what was both the ceiling and the roof of the structure. It was waterproof, or at least mostly so, with heavy cloth material with some kind of old rubber coating canvas stretched tightly between the seldom found roof members spanning the old patio.

Sitting in the chairs was a challenge, it felt like you were on a mini-teeter-totter. The owners of the establishment solved the problem for the tables by having small pieces of hard rubber on hand to lodge under the legs of the table in order to eliminate the teeter-tottering effect, thereby saving much distress of the spilled drinks.

For all that restaurant lacked, it somehow managed to be a magical spot that turned out to be a very special place to my wife and me. We shared some intimate time in that place… Sometimes it was a little too cold and drafty, other times it was a bit warm and sticky, but somehow the food and time spent together equaled much more than the sum of the inadequate parts.

I look for those special places… I keep an eye out for a place with that kind of potential. Maybe it’s what I see in the potential God has placed in me. He makes the mess of a life kind of work together to be more than it could ever be without a dose of magic…

I know there is no real magic in a magical place. The magic is inside of us… Not only what God can make of us, but also the gift He has given to enjoy time and space regardless of material make up.

I’m convinced the real supernatural and unique feelings we experience are achieved when we have the proper perspective. I’m not referring to the excitement felt from a new relationship, I’m describing a special time with someone who knows us intimately and who we’ve had almost every imaginable conversation with.

The key ingredients I think are selflessness, along with the desire to listen and be able to enjoy our special company without having to hide who we are and care enough about the other being to take that special time out with them.

What makes a place special is the company we share it with.

Since our old favorite place has closed down, I’ve been on the lookout for a similar place where we can enjoy some magical time together. My wife and I have talked about it and both actively look for that new special place.

As I sat in my home office observing the overgrown, in need of trimming, shrubs and trees outside the glass doors, I spotted it. That place where I study, visit, listen intently, and share my special time with God gave me the proper perspective. It wasn’t the structure of my home that made it special it was my Company.

I’d looked high and low for the perfect place, not perfect form or function, but perfect in attitude and atmosphere. What could be better than what surrounded me; my home, supplied by the One who spends time there…

The perfect, imperfect place… It wasn’t perfect because of all it is made up by, it is perfect because of who it is that I share it with…

Of all the magical times I’ve spent away from home, nothing comes remotely close to the times I’ve spent with God and my family,

right here at home…