Twice a month, when we're available, Sue and I serve in a food pantry based out of our church in Naples, Maine.  This is hardly a big sacrifice; we actually benefit from the food distribution ourselves, now that both of us are in the low income world of Christian education.  Furthermore, I always look forward to working alongside Richard, a retired Coast Guard cook, and Don, a career lobsterman.  These are a couple of real Mainers through and through.  Meanwhile, Sue has her share of friends she works with on the first Tuesday and third Monday of the month as well.

We were serving there on December 16 (the third Monday of the month) and were just about ready to close up.  I went into the fellowship  hall to see if we had anyone still waiting for a box, and there was one man sitting there.  I told him I imagined his box was ready and he could pick it up when he told me he was not there for the food pantry. "You're the magician, aren't you?"

Normal I respond to this statement with, "Actually, I'm a magician, but some day I hope to be THE magician.  Right now there's lots of us."  For some reason, it didn't seem the right time to be a wise guy, and I'm glad I wasn't. "Yes," I said.

"I don't know if you remember, but I met you at a show in Bridgton a while back.  We spoke after the show and I told you I had a bunch of illusions I was wanting to donate to you."

Immediately I recalled the conversation.  It was three years ago! He was a local guy and retired pastor who had used illusions for sermon illustrations, and he believed it was time to pass them on to a fellow illusionist who would also use them for the Gospel.  Shortly after this meeting, though, we switched churches and he didn't know how to get a hold of me.  After three years, he had learned I'm often at the food pantry, so he stopped by.  He brought in a large box filled with literally hundreds of dollars worth of only-used-once props.  Two of them were actually props that I have previously owned and lost over the years: the needle through the balloon, and the vanishing salt shaker.  Another was one I already own, but is used nine months out of the year by LOL, my teenage jugglers at school.  He gave me a beautiful new set of shackles, so now I can have one at home and one stays at school.  In addition, he gave me eight other illusions I have never owned until that evening and a new set of stripped cards. There were also two books!

I already have plans for two of them, and another one: passe-passe bottles, I actually used for the first time yesterday in church.  I was filling in for our pastor, and I did this trick as part of MY sermon illustration. 

Today it has been snowing since I woke up, so I have stayed at home all day.  I used part of this snow day to go through the props more thoroughly, and I plan to use more of them in upcoming shows.

Call it an early Christmas gift!