Stones

Stones when you think about them you may think negative thoughts. I remember as a kid having to walk the fields with my siblings and pick stones so they wouldn't damage the farm equipment and also the crops could grow better. I sometimes think the more you pick, the more will surface. They really aren't very pretty and they can be very heavy. Stones can be an obstacle to have to work around. Many a yard has a large stone in the center of a flower bed. It was easier to build a flower bed around it, then move it. Stones can also be hard to walk on and stay balanced.

I have a positive thought however, to stones. I recently heard someone say, "stones are what makes the noise in the streams". I realized in that moment the truth of that statement. Without the stones there wouldn't be anything to make noise as the water flowed past it. It would simply be quiet. Stones give us some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Can you imagine sitting by a little brook and never hearing the trickling of the water? While on a recent walk I came across a very small stream, I could have jumped across it. It was full of stones and rocks. They were in all different sizes and different shapes. One of the bigger ones caused  a small waterfall. You know what, I loved just standing there and hearing the water so peacefully travel. It is a very calm and peaceful sound.

We all have "stones" in our life. We have things that make our lives difficult. There are people in our lives no matter how hard we try to change them we can't, we just have to deal with them and work around them. (kind of like the flower bed). We have things in our past that have been forgiven, but the consequence still remains because of our choice. They become a part of our life. We also have times in our past that we can look back on that left a mark, sort of like a stone marker can make. It can be something wonderful and life changing or it can also be something we really learned a valuable lesson on. We would love to have a life without any bumps or "stones" in them. You have heard people say, they are really on a rocky road right now. No one likes to live like that. We like when things are in control and predictable. But you know what, those stones are there for a reason. Some are to remind us to never make that mistake again. Some are to help others. Some are simply to help us appreciate the good and smooth sailing type days. If we didn't have the stones, our lives would be boring. Remember the stones are what make the streams sing and play that beautiful sound. The sound that some people buy Cd's of to help them fall asleep. Those stones are important. I believe that if we were completely honest with ourselves, the times in our life that seemed rocky, we also grew the most. Some stones can be removed, some are made to go around, while others are meant to climb. It is during the journey that matters, we are slowly changing and becoming stronger. So the next time you come across a "stone" in your path, it will make you a stronger person in the end. Who knows you may even sing a different tune after your experience.