From calm stream to violent rapids, the stone that sits firmly in the riverbed is largely unchanged. It may shift and weather or be carried downstream from time to time when a seldom great force comes its way. But it will still be that very same stone it was decades ago and will continue to be for eons to come.

When I feel overcome by the tumult of disappointment or grief and feel the urge to try  to exert control over my circumstances, hoping that “if I could just say/do/be enough, I can convince them to not disappoint me again”, I instead think of the stone. It’s steady, unmoving, but it influences where the water goes by simply
existing as it is.

In this season of my life, I want to embody that same energy
as the stone in the river. She knows she doesn’t need to move or change, her mere stature helps shape the water. She is one of many. She is of the river but distinct from the water that surrounds her. The water will crash or glide against her but just as quickly as it came, it will just as soon be in the distance.

I hope these pieces may be a small companion on your journey amidst the changing waters.