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