stones...
I've always been fascinated by rocks. Plain old,
everyday, run of the mill, rocks. I can't really explain it, it's just
always been that way for me. As a child, I was constantly on the lookout
for rocks. Sometimes I would even walk down the alley behind our home
searching for special rocks in ordinary crushed gravel. Occasionally I
would find one that stood out or spoke to me in some way; into my pocket it
would go, and stay there until Mom - hopefully - removed it and set it aside
before doing the laundry.
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Stones |
...my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge... (Psalm 18:2) |
In August of 2005, when I decided to return to my home
State and build a house and the Light in the Woods Chapel in the Idaho
mountains, I knew rocks would somehow be a part of it all. I didn't
question this knowing; I simply acknowledged that it was part of my nature to do
such a thing.
To my good fortune, there is an abundance of exquisite
river rocks on my brother's property in Gardena. With his permission, I
have been diligent in gathering a wide variety of stones. The secret to
good rock gathering is not about seeking or searching with force; it is about
allowing the rocks to reveal themselves; to stand out or speak to you in
some way...by color, shape, size, or even location. (In that manner, last
summer, I actually came across a heart-shaped river rock that when wetted,
reveals - believe it or not - the first two initials of my name, naturally
formed and embedded in the stone. I am particularly fond of that rock.)
With respect - reverence might be a more fitting word - over the past
year I have gathered what could be nearly a ton of rocks; ageless rocks that
have been here long before my lifetime and that will remain long after I
physically depart these premises. There is a profundity to that awareness
that I delight in.
Today, I am writing to you about stones because the last
week has been a culmination of my year-long rock gathering endeavors.
Every day I have been mixing mortar and placing rocks one by one onto the front
of my house. Next week I will be placing them inside my house around my
fireplace hearth, floor to ceiling. It's a big job. Rock work
requires patience and focus; it is meditative by nature. As I have worked
with the rocks, I have experienced and thought about many things.
Sometimes I would pick up a rock and it would just fit, like destiny, and into
its place it would go. Other times it was a process; I would pick up five
or ten or even a dozen stones before I found one that looked or felt like it
belonged in a certain spot. Still other times, after placing a rock, while
it might not look exactly right up close, when I stood back, a bigger picture
was revealed and I could see absolute perfection in its placement.
I've learned a lot from those rocks in the past week.
Working in the quiet and solitude of the mountains, in the gentle warmth of
mid-autumn sun with the pleasant sound of birdsong in the air, these ancient
river rocks have whispered to me of many things:
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Simplicity
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Beauty in the ordinary
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Patience
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Strength
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Order
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Time and Eternity
Nowadays, rock fascia in construction is typically of
cultured stone. Cultured stone is fast and efficient; it looks great, is
lightweight, and fits together easily. What might take a week or two with
natural stone can be accomplished in a day or two with cultured stone.
Bravo, cultured stone. But I'm glad I chose the real thing for my house.
Not because it has been fast or easy, but because the purity and essence of the
river rocks, worn smooth by the waters of eons, rocks that I have gathered with
my own two hands, will serve as a reminder and enduring symbol of so many things
I hold dear and essential in my experience of this earthly life.
Next time you go for a walk, perhaps you can pick up a
rock, hold it in your hands, and think about it for awhile. You might be
surprised and appreciative of what it reveals to you.
-Rev. Tom
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"In our quiet moments, when we are not relating to traditional thinking
patterns, we are certain of our own immortality and the promise life holds for
us. We know that we did not begin at conception, and that we will not end
when the body is no longer able to serve our needs..."
-Roy E. Davis |
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