I am a rock

I am a rock collector. I have been bringing home rocks ever since I can remember. I find rocks in my pockets, in my nitestand, in purses. And my rock hoarding has been passed down to my son. Now we look for, and collect rocks together. I'm not talking about precious stones either. We can become treasure hunters anytime, anywhere. At the park, in an alley, under a tree, by the river, in a stream...if there are rocks to be found, we find em. We pick them up, feel them, examine them, skip them, throw them...and when we find a special one...we collect them and bring them home. What makes a rock special? Many things! We look at them like we look at clouds.  Shape resemblance...this one has a face, this one's a polar bear. Colour wet, colour dry. Our favorites have surely become heart shaped rocks (We have gifted many a heart shaped rock).
A couple of weeks ago, my son woke out of a deep sleep and stumbled into my room. I happened to be up reading. He reached his hand to me and said 'here momma'. Clasped tightly in his tiny little hand was one of our heart rocks. He turned immediately and crawled right back into bed. Now, I understand that to most, it is just a rock. But this special midnight delivery had a purpose. He was giving me love. His love. Our love.
Rock collecting belongs to us. It is one way we spend time together. We talk with eachother. We listen to one another. We explore. We pile and balance and throw. We use our imaginations. We embrace the opportunity to quiet the noise and just be. Often times when we get home we will draw or print on our rocks. Sometimes we paint them. Some end up in the garden, many are nestled inside. Our interest in rocks has made them special...to us. This is how we spend much of our time out in nature and our rock adventures often lead us toward many other missions. Bugs and leaves and sticks often derail the quest, if only for a moment. We become hunters and gatherers.  Our rock collection proudly declares that we are treasure hunters. Our rocks help us stay grounded and connected.
So if ever you receive a rock gift from us, please don't take offense. You can be sure that the gift is thoughtful and meant for your hands.
A rock standing alone can have very little impact for many. But rocks help us to understand we are capable of building mountains, one pebble at a time.  Our rocks teach us that we can climb those mountains. We can even move them, if we choose...together. I am a rock. I may even be a mountain. But I am no island. No one can stand alone. Not even you.