The Presence of Rocks

I was expecting an Amazon box as I glanced through the window onto our front porch. To my delight, there sat a rock – a good-sized rock with succulents growing from its hollowed  center. Papers fluttered underneath one corner.  To some people, the appearance of a rock on their porch might be strange, cause feelings of apprehension,  alarm even. But I was overjoyed, and I knew exactly who had left it. 
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I love rocks! They feel wise to me, holding records of our past, while continuing to evolve through eons of change around them. When I sit among rocks, I feel their patience and am reminded, once again, to be present.  

One of my favorite places to spend time with rocks is on the beaches at the Shrine of St. Therese in Juneau, Alaska.  Our family lived in Juneau several years ago, and we return from time to time to visit good friends and familiar places. Drew and I were there a couple of weeks ago, and I wandered along the Shine's beaches, searching for just the right rocks to create a cairn...a balanced stack of stones, which has meaning to its creator.  They're often used to mark hiking trails, to remember loved ones, delineate boundaries. But for me, the actions of searching, stacking, balancing, then reflecting is contemplative. 

Among the many, I picked a few to bring home and re-create an Alaskan cairn in our backyard. 

I added it to the new arrival, along with  a few of my most treasured rocks. 

Where did the front porch rock come from? Roberta,  a dear neighbor and friend, gifted it to me from her father's sizable collection of unique rocks and fossils, arranged in her lovely backyard garden. The papers beneath the rock highlight the life of her father, Dr. Dean Blackburn, fondly remembered as a "Gentleman's Gentleman." He entrusted the collection to Roberta for its safe keeping. She, in turn, will pass it along to her family.

I am grateful for Roberta's gift, not only of a remarkable rock, but of memories shared. Each rock tells a story, its own, and the person who connects with it.  Rocks remind us that it is the connections – the stories – that remain.