I Have Some Rocks

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I was in the fledgling era of my teaching life I worked at a school in the north Georgia Mountains.  We lived on campus and the life there was very family like.  I would often take my Sons with me down to the building where my office was.

One summer afternoon I needed to stop by the office for a brief meeting.  When we were done I was taking the boys to the pool for swimming.  At the time they were old enough to play on their own in the grass by the building.  They were also young enough to still retain that innocence the children possess.

As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed that the parking area for cars had be freshly covered in granite rocks.  Freshly chipped from some quarry they sparkled in the morning summer sun as if infused with diamonds.  Maxim noticed them too. 

His small mind and heart filled with wonder at the beauty of sun on granite.  New granite catches and reflects sun light.  It is the tiny quartz deposits in it that cause this.  What my son saw was a vast field of diamonds offering up their beauty as it was unlocked by the morning sun.

After admiring it with him and his brother for a moment I slipped away to my meeting.  It was over in just over a quarter hour and I was anxious to be in the pool with my Sons.  To my surprise both boys were already in the car when I emerged.  I heard Maxim loudly shush Bezel when he saw me heading toward the car.

At that age they were both too well behaved and too innocent for there to be something wrong.  That would change before the autumn of the same year, but that is another story for another time.

As I got into the car Maxim had that “I am up to something” look on his face.  I feigned ignorance and began to start the car.  He said a single word, “Wait.”  He was smiling in a way that lingers in my mind so beautifully.  Once he knew he had my attention he spoke further. 

“Dad, I have something for you.”  He proffered three pieces of the granite with all their sparkly newness.  It was the first gift he had ever given me on his own.  I accepted them with joy and made sure to marvel at their beauty.  They are just a few feet away from me in my special box as I write this.

By summer’s end the Georgia red clay and the effect of traffic had robbed the parking lot of its luster.  The three pieces in my special box still sparkle.  They have been protected from time and the elements.

I so often wish I could recapture the innocence of those days.  I know that I cannot but the moment serves me when I worry about Maxim for any reason.  He has grown into a good man who is a good father and husband.  He works in a noble field doing good for others.  He still knows how to give and has a heart to do so. The Georgia summers mute all things in some way.  They have not done so as much with my Son.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."