The morning walk in July began in the same silence that each walk at the Abbey of Gethsemani begins. As I made my way along the path that was still mud filled from the prior day’s rain, I stepped carefully. I heard the rhythmic crunch of the gravel beneath my feet, interspersed with the squish of the soft moist earth. Looking downward with each step, I noticed a perfect round white stone. I bent and picked it up and popped it in my pocket. As I walked, I noticed another white stone and another and another and yet another. Each stone was dropped into a pocket until each pocket bulged to capacity. A little wet and a little muddy each stone would serve a perfect purpose.
When I could fit not a single more stone into the pockets, I continued on and reminded myself to carry a sack tomorrow. Surely, there are millions more white stones along the paths. I carried the full sack of stones back to Dallas. Today, I carefully and mindfully poured the stones out of the sack and into the sink to be washed and to be blessed each day. Each stone is infused with blessings in preparation for the White Stone Ceremony on New Year’s Day.
You may think this is a story of the white stone. It is in part. It is also a story seeking and finding and realizing nothing is ever lost.
As I reached into the sack to remove the final few stones and there is was, still a little sparkly but mostly dirt filled.. the earring that I thought I left behind at the Abbey. The earring that I never intended to take on the trip so I didn’t misplace it. It was an earring that had become a treasure to me. This was the earring that my dear friend Ginney gave me on our final earth visit in February of 2012.
I know as well as anyone that the earring is just a thing, an object. Yet, each time I wore that pair of earrings, I remembered my dear and best friend. I wore them for my interview and the day I presented my candidate lesson to you the congregation of Unity on Greenville. I did fret quite a bit back in July when I unpacked my suit case and only found one earring of the set. Right then and there, I decided I wouldn’t be daunted and I wore the single erring or sometimes as a mismatched pair. No one ever noticed, or at least no one ever commented.
No, I don’t believe in luck, I firmly believe in the Unity principle that we create our lives by the action of our thinking. I don’t believe for a moment that wearing the earrings brought me any favor or caused Ginney’s presence to be nearer. And still, I am delighted to have found this little earring to have the matching set once again. I am delighted to have this visual reminder of the eternity and interconnectedness of our souls. Of course, the souls of those we love in this realm are still strongly connected when there is a transition to another realm.
Time and time again, I am reminded of my dear friend. The earrings are a symbol of a cherished friend that time, space, or distance, or even form or formlessness cannot separate. I am reminded too that sometimes we just need to let go and allow the universe to support our life desires as the universe always does. I gave up having to have a perfectly matched pair of earrings and I know Ginney enjoyed the mismatched pair as much as I enjoyed wearing them.
Saturday at 6:30pm is our New Year’s Eve Burning Bowl with Kristian Craige and Ryan Taylor. It is truly an inspiring New Year’s Eve tradition.
If you miss New Year’s Eve, come early Sunday 9:30 for an opportunity for burning bowl. Our 11:00 service will be the White Stone. There is not Pot Luck after the service Sunday at Unity. Instead, we will gather at Mary and Jerry Chandler’s home for their annual New Year’s Labyrinth Walk and Pot Luck. Festivities are 5-8 pm at 426 Hambrick Road, Dallas (972-863-3949).
Happy New Year! May all your intentions be fulfilled.