the gems of life

When I was a little girl, my mother would send my sister and I outside with a set of Audubon field guides from time to time so we could keep ourselves busy trying to identify trees, birds, plants and rocks. Some days we'd take the books into the forest in back of our house and look for edible plants to dig up, some days we'd watch the birds visit the bird bath outside our kitchen window, other days we'd collect leaves from the many trees on our property...and then there were the days I was convinced I would split open one of the rocks I had collected to discover it was really a gem.

This anecdote quite obviously provides a glimpse into the roots of my nature-loving ways, but it is the less obvious piece of my existence that can be gleaned from the tale that actually called this memory up for me today. Those Audubon books suddenly came to mind when I picked up the hunk of amethyst that sits on my bedside table (one of many gems that sit there). I recalled all the times I sat in my driveway, by the side of the river, or in my backyard, splitting open rocks and hoping to discover its guts were made of gems instead of stone. What warms me is knowing that no matter how many rocks disappointed me back then, I always believed I'd find my gem eventually....I believed in finding beauty inside otherwise ugly or plain pockets of life, I believed in finding whatever it was my little heart was looking for at any given time, and no amount of disappointment or failure ever kept me from believing.

The image of that little girl with her rocks is so precious to me, and she has never left my soul. It is that little girl piece of me that has allowed me to manifest all my dreams into reality. I continue to live my life in search of the gems I know I will find along my way, and over the years I've begun to find them more quickly and more frequently. In my experience, it is the strong ability to "believe," regardless of failed attempts or other people's disbelief, that leads to a life filled with gems. And the interesting thing is, I still appreciate the rocks that are simply made of stone, because they are just as important.

It's no wonder that I have decorative vessels filled with both (rocks and gems) placed throughout my house....a subtle reminder to appreciate all of your experiences and all of your attempts, all the while maintaining your faith in life, in yourself, and in the realization of dreams.

xo