Rocks in my Pocket!

The Bible really is a cool source of information - even today in our altogether attitudes of "I don't need anyone, I can do this"; the Bible can show you something that you may never have realized was there in the first place, and it was there thousands of years before you. (That was a really long sentence, and as a professor of English I may need to revisit it to see if I could possibly shorten it.)

I have always been a naturalist and I have always believed in the power of nature. If you ask me, I think the Native Americans have a real connection with God through their worship; not so sure what we would call the pagans don't have one as well. They may have missed the mark by worshiping earthy things rather than using the Earth to worship, but they may actually be trying to do the right thing. I'll never judge them. I may try to guide one or two - but I couldn't possibly judge. Follow me on this one. When I was really very small, too young to read in fact, I was climbing over a fence about a mile from my house in order to look at dead bones and artifacts that literally lay around the land and in the sides of the hills that were near a creek bed. Later I was told that the land was an old Indian burial ground. It was a good thing I never took something from it; not that I would have been cursed, but I would have taken away from the glory of the land.

When the government took over the land and plowed up and under everything that was in it I felt sorry for the people who once lived there, but somewhat understood the need to move on. I don't believe all of them have moved on - the land was turned into a park which today remains virtually empty. No one plays there, no one picnics there, no one goes there - I think I know why. The land itself requires that. You have to know a place like that. Gettysburg is a place like that. Very quiet, but it's the silence that reverberates in your ears forever. The Bible says that "Even the rocks will call out to Him if we do not."

I began a new spiritual journey at the age of 6. I decided to listen to the land. I would sit for hours and listen to the area around me, being alone wasn't scary in 1968 - - I began another habit. I began collecting rocks. I would pick up a rock from a place that was special to me, a place that was unique, or a place that had a real meaning. I would leave the rocks where they were if the place was harsh, or if it held a bad experience for me. Something about having the rock with me was comforting if it came from a good place - frightening if it came from a sad or scary place (such as the courthouse when I lost my kids on an error of the court. I left the rocks where they lay.)

In my pocket I keep 5 colored stones for a reason. I don't always have them, so if you stop me on the street and ask to see them you may not be an audience to them, but I do keep them most of the time. I pray with them. If they're going to call on God's name and for His assistance I want to be there. These are very special rocks. I suppose if you were to go out and buy these rocks, as I did, you would spend only a dollar or two, but they are blessed and I chose them with care. Each rock is colored to meet the birthstone colors for my children and I, and there is one more. Because this man, this man that I love and chose to pray for, was born in the same birth month of my son, he also has a blue stone (March), but his is a deeper blue, he's much much older...oh, so very much older, he's so old...just kidding. I just thought I'd be mean to him for a second, but he's too precious - - my heartfelt apologies.

I hold the rocks, I pray individually for the person they represent. I start with me, the yellow stone. I was born in November and it was the closest to citrine. I need the prayers first and most as I am the one I know screws up the most, and I am the one I have to straighten out first before I can possibly ask God to help the others. I use my own words, but I also call upon God to remember Jabez and how he prayed, asking for blessings, doubled blessings, protection and for his (my) territory to be increased. I leave it up to God as to what He chooses to increase. If I asked specifically I could fall trap to conceit...I do that. I'm rather human at times.

After I pray for me I pray for the kids, and for their protection, their wisdom, their decision making, their blessings. I stand back and see where my prayers have been answered. For the man, oh, I take a lot of time praying over him. He will not only need to know he is loved, he will need to accept that. It isn't always easy for one to do and it certainly isn't human to just give in. God does a much better job at guiding than I do - I couldn't make a star to navigate even one sailor, He did it a few more times. Stars are rocks too.

I only mention the rocks because we need to be aware of them - we use them, discard them, mount them in gold and platinum. We throw them, sometimes back into the water from where they came from perhaps, and often times we blow up mountains and crush the rocks to make streets and bridges. Can you take one minute just one minute to think of the songs or the prayers that must be going on all around you? When you can, sing with them. Listen to the land.