stone wash

Stone skipping is a ritual that every child (and adult) in our household has done at least once in the summer.  It usually involves the meticulous search for the perfect rock.  Flat and thin.  Smooth as possible.  Then aiming it just right so you can see it glide along the horizon.  With every bounce I could see a smile, as if with each bounce, they were one skip closer to breaking the world record.  (Which by the way, was 51 skips...the world record set in 2007) {Source: Wikipedia}

As I watched by the shore, I noticed all the beautiful colours of the stones along the water.  Every stone unique and beautiful in its own way.  Multitudes of colours, sizes, shapes and age coexisting beautifully on the sand as the waves of the lake crashed over them.

At first it would seem that the waves are aggressively trying to pull the stones deeper into the depths of the water.  Some of the bigger stones stayed put, as if they had the weight of experience to position themselves so they wouldn't get dragged in.  The smaller stones would move with the waves...some protected by the bigger stones, but many freely rolling deeper and deeper into the water with the pull of every increasingly stronger current.  But no matter how hard the waves pulled...the little stones still never ventured into dangerously deep waters as if they knew when to find their way back nestled between larger rocks, protecting them.

Collectively most of the stones stayed put, and with each passing wave, the water just made them cleaner...as if tears had washed the sand away, making them see more clearly.  Almost like diamonds in the rough that have transformed by the harsh waters, the stones are now like gems shining and glistening from the sun.

After I dropped off the kids on their first day back at school,  I thought back to that day at that beach watching those stones...as if it was nature's reminder of life.  With each passing year as the kids venture into new experiences, whether it's in a classroom, playground, friend's house or at the beach...that no matter where the current takes them, I know they'll grow to become polished gems...shining and glistening in the sunlight.