Just the other day I watched a movie called "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium."
And it starts JUST. LIKE. THIS.
"This is one of my favorite stories of all time, even though it begins in a
basement. I'm gonna tell it the way it was written by this guy- Bellini-
Who lives underneath the amazing, the remarkable...Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
And, yes...he sleeps with a dolly. Bellini's job is to build all the books for all
the kids who come to the Emporium. But it is also to chronicle the life of
Mr. Magorium himself. Mr. Magorium once made toys for Napoleon,beat Abraham Lincoln
at hopscotch and holds the current record for time spent upside down. There were
those who called Magorium a genius. My mom called him an eccentric.
And this one guy from Detroit inexplicably called him "Steve. " But Magorium's
story was reaching its final chapters. That's okay-all stories even the ones
we love,must eventually come to an end...
...and when they do, it's only an opportunity for another story to begin.
So the beginning of the end begins with a chapter called,"Molly Mahoney's First. "
Molly Mahoney was the manager of the Emporium,Mr. Magorium's apprentice,
and my only friend. In the mornings, Mahoney would play her piano,
attempting to finish her very first concerto, but she never could find
the right notes. When she was younger, everyone thought
she was a musical genius,a brilliant pianist, and she believed them.
But now, as she became a grown-up,
She wasn't so sure.
I don't know why grown-ups don't believe what they did when they were kids.
I mean, aren't they supposed to be smarter? What Mahoney needed was the
opportunity to prove to herself that she was something more than she believed."
I love this movie for a few reasons:
1) It teaches us NEVER to lose the faith in things that seem ridiculous.
2) It shows us the importance of belief
3) It teaches us a little about ourselves
The idea of Mr. Margorium's story leading Molly's is so realistic. You may live in a basement
(whether literally or figuratively) but you are still destined to do GREAT things! I mean,
remember that guy named uhhhh...OH! Harry Potter?! He lived in a CLOSET underneath
a flight of STAIRS and he saved pretty much the ENTIRE WORLD both
MAGICAL and MUGGLE!! He killed his enemy, fought dementors,
and did it all with a wooden wand, two best friends, and an uncle and aunt who didn't believe
in him at all and held him back but he FOUGHT BACK!!
In the movie the toys in the store were alive. The paper planes flew, the dolls talked, and the
magical ordering book popped up whatever you wanted after you said it. However, it only
worked and stayed alive if you believed. Mr. Magorium brought in an accountant (or a counting
mutant) who didn't believe. He thought the store was "really really cool" but everyone knew
it was MAGIC! Our faith in God, the gospel, and everything in between must NEVER be only
"really really cool" because then we lose the "magic" of it all.
Near the end of the movie Mr. Magorium is speaking of death, and how is going to die soon.
He says: "When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written?
He's written "He dies." That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no
metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most
influential work of dramatic literature is "He dies." It takes
Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with "He dies." And yet every time I
read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I
know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words "He
dies." But because of the life we saw prior to the words.
I've lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be
happy that I must go. I'm only asking that you turn the page, continue
reading... and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became
of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest "He died."
....your life is an occasion. Rise to it."
I may not be a Harry Potter destined to save the whole world, I may not be a Cinderella destined
to rule over an entire kingdom, and I may not even be a Molly Mahoney destined to manage an
entire magical toy store.
But, I am a Harry Potter, a Cinderella and a Molly Mahoney destined to believe in the Lord and
preach His gospel, and rise above any words that people may throw at me.
"We breath. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime."
If 37 well used is a lifetime. Imagine what you can do with YOUR lifetime.
