As in nature, as in art, so in grace;
it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones,
their luster.

Thomas Guthrie, Scottish Clergyman, (1803-1873)

Five years ago, my world imploded. I was 55 and should have been looking forward to enjoying my ‘golden years’ after a life of hard work. But I missed a step. Literally. One morning, while going down my basement steps, something I did several times a day for a quarter of a century, I fell and landed on an unforgiving bare concrete floor, hard enough to shatter my L1 vertebrae into several pieces.

My broken back took several months to heal and even then, it was never to be completely well again. Like so many others at the time, I  had been struggling financially for some time and my fall was the proverbial last straw. I could not work, I could not collect any benefits since the fall happened at home and, sadly, the disability lawyer I consulted led me to believe that I was not impaired enough to be eligible. She was wrong. But by the time I figured that out, I had already lost my home and most of my worldly possessions.

Like most people, I had dealt with setbacks before, but this was different. I was looking at starting over at an age when such challenges can seem insurmountable. These are the times when I envy the religious, when I wish I could count on faith for guidance and support.

A year later, when I no longer had a place to call home, I came to live with friends in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. In more ways than one, this was my ‘salvation.’ For the first time since I was a young teen living in Northern Spain, I was once again surrounded by a world in its natural state. My friend’s home is built in the woods where deer, chipmunks, wild turkeys, toads, snakes and the occasional young bear were regular visitors. The ground was blanketed by thousands upon thousands of stones, in all shapes, sizes and colors. When I learned that these stones were anywhere between 250 and 540 million years old, my perspective on life and the temporary circumstances that can sometimes derail our equilibrium began to right itself.

I rediscovered nature and the sacredness we can find there if we choose to be present. Nature never gives up, it never despairs. Life goes on, with or without us. Quietly and undaunted, it finds a new path when the old ones are gone. And so it is that today, I am working on the new (albeit older) me, on becoming a better writer, on being a better and wiser person, on finding grace.

I no longer live in Saylorsburg but when I moved to Reading, I brought with me my collection of stones I had gathered from my friend’s yard. They are my reminder that even a simple stone can have a profound impact. I hope you can also appreciate the beauty I see in them.

Contact

I would love to hear from you. Please send  me a message and I will reply as soon as possible.