a River rock in The Peaceful Garden, Dallas, Texas.

From tiny little hands holding a wet river rock – to the awe, majesty and grandeur of rock formations on a hike – how can we look at rocks in a new way?

We spend many hours with our two precious granddaughters in our side yard, affectionately called “The Peaceful Garden.” One end of the side yard is river rock, which when wet from rain or the water hose produces an array of beauty – a sight to hold and behold.

a Petrified rock, Peaceful Garden, Dallas, Texas.

Also in The Peaceful Garden are treasures of Roger’s and my heritage, including two rocks from his childhood home in Spearman, TX. One of them, a rough, black volcanic rock, was gathered by his family on the side of the road as they vacationed in New Mexico with their Starcraft pop-up camper. The other, a large petrified rock, was collected from Roger’s paternal grandmother’s ranch in Arizona.

A Path of rocks in The Peaceful Garden gathered from Lake Kemp, Seymour, Texas.

The rocks representing my childhood are some large flat rocks that create a walking path and some rocks lining the flower beds. Some of the flower bed rocks still have indicators of their original purpose – black markings from the fireplace from our family lake cabin built in the 30’s. The cabin was torn down several years ago because the river redirected, and the lake is now dry where the old cabin used to be. Thankfully we were able to find a cabin on a different part of the lake – and save some of the fireplace rocks from the original cabin. They are mementoes of my family’s dedication to lake cabin life…a place to be together, to sit around the campfire, to eat together, to go fishing and to play. These cherished memories of family time, water skiing, vacations and adventures at Lake Kemp near Seymour, TX are a “bedrock” of my childhood experience.

Roger and I are trying to create an appreciation of all things nature, even rocks – or maybe especially rocks – for our granddaughters. When we travel and hike, we always bring home a pocketful of souvenir rocks for the girls, carefully picked up along the path or along the stream to place in The Peaceful Garden together. We are building memories, building heritage, rock by rock….

The grandeur of larger, more majestic rock formations often stops us in our tracks when we are hiking and traveling. It often sparks a moment of worship and adoration that comes over us. The questions that arise concerning the geology of it all – the years, the history, the wonder of creation – is both awe-inspiring and humbling.

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California.

And sometimes in our lives, problems and fears can feel as huge as the largest mountain ranges.

At times, obstacles are part of our reality and we must learn to accept them.

At other times, we allow the metaphorical rocks in our backpacks to weigh us down, making our load so heavy that we struggle to move forward with our dreams, our desire for growth, our aspirations. How is it that we can look at those rocks differently?

If we unpacked this backpack and carefully examined its rocks…what might we find there? Fear? Insecurity? Not enough? Uncertainty? Loneliness? Health issues? Worry about others’ perceptions? Complacency? Regret? Emotional exposure? Distrust?

What is hanging over you, weighing you down? What is getting in the way of your journey?

What is holding me back? is a question I often ask myself. Maybe I find that the hindrance is due to a large, complicated decision, such as “Should I write another book?” or maybe it is a more everyday situation, such as “Why am I having so much resistance in reaching out to this friend?”

Whatever it is, the invitation is to become aware of what I am holding. What am I carrying? What is holding me back?

Our task is not to dump out all of the rocks and skip away with a lighter backpack and continue on in denial. It is to establish a date with ourselves to take time for reflection, an opportunity to honor all that is going on within us and make space for the possibility of a moment of wonderment and awe.