A Heart for Grampa...

Email received from Jean in Marshfield, MA on Sunday, August 24, 2008
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My story...

"My dad has been in the hospital for three weeks now. He went in for hip replacement surgery and has suffered one complication after another. At one point he needed to be put on a ventilator. As I was getting ready to go to the hospital one day, my daughter chose one of my many heart rocks and asked me to bring it to Grampa. It was picked specifically because the shape would be obvious to him if he held it in his hand! So, I brought it to him and placed it in his hand. I told him it was a heart rock form my daughter. For days I would check to make sure the nurses were keeping it in his hand. One day when I came in I noticed that since it kept falling out of his hand, one of the nurses had taped it on his bed right next to his head. It has been with him ever since."

Jean
Heart Rockin' Family: www.frecklesfilledwithlove.blogspot.com

Padova, Italy - Hearts in Stone

Email received from Jan, Connecticut on Saturday, August 23, 2008
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My daughter just spent the summer studying in Padova, Italy. The tiny cobblestone street in front of where she was staying had some heart rocks, and someone painted them all red. What a pleasant way to be greeted each morning as she set out for class!

Jan in Connecticut

PS I found your site through polly-vous francais

More than Meets the Eye

Email received from Neha of Kolkata, India on Friday, August 22, 2008
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Hi!

I'm Neha from Kolkata, India and let me just tell you that I was absolutely elated when I came across your blog....here's my little heart rock and its story :)

REWIND. . .Unbound and unleashed..Rethought from A to Z...Pages turned incessantly..In hopes of finding ME...
http://rewoundreflections.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-than-meets-eye.html

hope to hear more stories!!
thanks again :)

Found Hearts by Rick Ruggles ~ videos

You may remember one of my earlier posts (Feb) hightlighting the beautiful images of Found Hearts by Rick Ruggles. His photographic work reflects the beauty and love that surrounds us ~ primarly heart-shapes found in nature. Recently, I checked out his website for updated information about a gallery exhibit he had earlier this year. New additions to his site include the following two videos (worth watching!):

Saville Gallery Show 2008
Interview on Maryland Public TV

Heart Rocks of Alaska: Nature's Valentines

While conducting my daily internet search to network with other heart rock enthusiasts, I came across this delightful video, "Heart Rocks of Alaska: Nature's Valentines" produced by Evan Steinhauser. Evan works as a photojournalist in Alaska, surrounded by the majestic beauty of God's creation. His first heart rock encounter occurred on a daily hike through the Chugach State Park near Eagle River in Alaska. Check out his video to learn more about these amazing 'heart' treasures discovered along his many hikes.

*I contacted Evan and received his permission to include his work on the blog.

Sharing My Heart(s) with Others

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.

It's a Heart Rock Life!

One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams. I love the idea expressed in the line, "If you build it, they'll come." When I started my blog, I hoped that others would join and/or contribute to the collective voice of the blog, sharing their stories and images of heart rocks. A year has passed and I'm overwhelmed at the numbers of people I've met who collect heart rocks and have started blogs, groups and written books expressing this shared passion.

When I logged in after an evening walk (found two heart rocks this time), I was delighted to read a post from another Heart Rock lover...all the way from California!

I'd like to introduce you to the latest blog addition to The Heart Rock Collective: It's a Heart Rock Life

Welcome to Sharilyn from California! Check out her blog...read her heart rock story; read her inspirational writings; meditate on her visual snapshots of everyday life which speaks of God's beauty surrounding us. Look around you to witness His creation, look within to experience His love and grace.

Birthday Wishes!

Tomorrow's my birthday! Thursday, July 31st. My birthday wish for the coming year is for God to continue to change and transform my heart. I pray that anything that blocks me from giving and receiving love be removed...let the barriers, the hurts and wounds be healed by God's loving mercy and grace. May I have a heart for service, a heart for healing, a heart for worship and a heart to share with others.

Since returning from my vacation, heart rocks appear in my travels on a daily basis. Wherever I look, I find one or two hearts. What's really curious is that many of them I find in the cracks in the sidewalk. Very tiny heart stones tucked quietly amidst the cracks...how odd...why do I find so many of them here? Want to know my theory? The souls that need love the most, to know that they are loved, usually walk downcast eyes, shoulders slumped weary by the burdens of the day. They're more likely to see them. God seems to be leading me to do more with my heart rocks...not just collect them, catalog them and photograph them, but to share them with others - to share the important messages contained in the heart rocks themselves. I pray that God continues to lead and direct the purpose of this blog and my passion for work with transformation of the heart and spirit. May my heart continue to open to the love around me that I might share it with others.

Blessings,
Kimberly

Finding Love in the Swiss Alps

While trekking up the trail from Gimmewald to the alpine village of Mürren, I discovered the heart rock pictured above. Another reminder of the abundance of God's love...wherever I go (far or near) love reveals itself in unending glory.

Highlights of the mountain trek included: breathtaking vistas, breathing in fresh mountain air, languishing in the beauty of the lush green valleys, hearing the chorus of bells as cows grazed lazily along the hillsides, feeling the deep sense of peaceful stillness of the surrounding mountains...moments and memories not to be missed!

Breaking Hearts in Salzburg, Austria

Spent a day exploring Salzburg, Austria. A city rich in history ~ known for the birthplace of Mozart; the setting for the Sound of Music; the stunningly beautiful Mirabel Gardens and quaint tightly packed streets with Baroque architecture. A virtual feast for the eyes and ears. Trekking up the hillside to see the twelfth century Hohensalzburg Fortress, my brother and I spied these heart rocks along the trail.