A heavy rainstorm blew in from the west yesterday. Dark, billowing clouds hung draped over the landscape obscuring the clarity of the once crystal china blue skies. It reminded me how life can often feel at times...confused, full of darkness with the threat of storms brewing just ahead. Eventually, though, the storm passes...often with a rainbow to herald the return of sunny skies and a brighter outlook. Out of the confusion and chaos emerges clarity...hope.
Today, I had a breakthrough. I'd recently been praying for guidance and direction with this blog, about what to do with my growing heart rock collection. The clouds of confusion parted and the crystal light of clarity emerged. Quietly...this simple message was heard, "Share your heart(s) with others." During my lunch break today, I took my usual walk along the Charles River and ended up at my favorite bench. Just before heading back to my office, I bent down to put on my shoes. There amidst the sand and gravel was another tiny heart rock. When I returned to my desk, I carefully placed it in my heart-shaped shell with two other hearts. A beautiful addition to my collection, though I felt a nagging voice inside me urging me to give these away...to share them with someone.
Just then, a colleague interrupted my heart-rock gardening to share some sad news about a colleague's loss of her father. My immediate thought was to give her one of the heart rocks. Offer it as a touchstone...a symbol of love...a remembrance of the love once shared with her father... of the Father's love that is everlasting. Giving our hearts to another...sharing ourselves...offering love in times of need...this is what matters. God reveals to me each day His love for me...it's poured out in unending measure. In turn, I must pour out this love flowing within me to others. I cannot keep it for myself.St. Francis Prayer- Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
- where there is hatred, let me sow love;
- where there is injury, pardon;
- where there is doubt, faith;
- where there is despair, hope;
- where there is darkness, light;
- and where there is sadness, joy.
- O Divine Master,
- grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
- to be understood, as to understand;
- to be loved, as to love;
- for it is in giving that we receive,
- it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
- and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
When I first began to find heart rocks, my collection resembled a mass of rejects from the Lonely (and Broken) Hearts Club. I was a magnet for attracting 'broken' hearts. Many years later I discovered the message that each broken heart (rock) contained. These symbolized the places within my own heart that needed healing and restoration.
Burdened by years of unresolved anger, failed relationships and unfulfilled dreams, I felt heart-weary and hopeless. Prayer offered me solace; I began to ask God to show His love for me. That's when I began to find heart rocks. At my darkest moments, God offered me the most beautiful heart rocks. I began to share them with friends and family. Bits of joy began to replace the heaviness that weighed on my heart. The more heart rocks I gave away, the more love filtered into my life. Today my heart is full of hope...still healing and becoming whole!
The seeds for this blog were sown by my brother, Chris. I'd begun to write a collection of stories entitled 'Writings from the Heart Rock Collective'. He encouraged me to share the stories of my 'heart rocks' on the web. From this small seed, the collective voices of heart rock lovers emerged. My vision for this blog is to create a virtual community where people can share their heart stories freely, fully and openly.
Keep the Heart Streams flowing! Give away your heart rocks to those who need some love. Help participate in the movement of 'healing hearts' through sharing one heart rock at a time.
