I was at Marott Park the other day; we went creek-stomping. While splashing in the water and enjoying an afternoon of stretching my body and my spirit in new ways, I found my next worry stone. I’ve been holding it ever since.
Worry stones are a “thing” for me. I was introduced to them on trip to Kentucky to visit my grandmother when I was in early elementary school, maybe even younger. I had a few of them over the years. She’d buy one for me at a gift shop (usually from Mammoth Cave National Park), and I would slip it into my pocket. I’d rub that worry stone so hard that I’d make it hot, but somehow, my worries would subside for a while. I thought everyone knew about worry stones.
A few years ago, I brought back a shell from a retreat I had been on. I had used it as a worry “stone” as well. Right after preaching about it, I gave it to our child, who promptly and accidentally dropped it in the front hallway of St. Peter’s. The shell broke. I still have it in three pieces on my desk. Not all worry stones have to last a long time. Some just serve their purpose for a short time and then exit our lives.
Well, my new worry stone is bigger than most, but I like its heft. It fits in my hand, and I can rub it for as long as I want to. It’s not going anywhere. I’m also not going to change it by rubbing it, but gosh – it seems to help me release so much! I have no idea why this works for me, but it feels good and seems like a harmless thing to do.
So… today, I wonder what is causing you to worry and how you might let go of those worries, at least for a moment. I realize that I cannot get rid of all of the worries in my life, and I also realize that fixating on my worries only hurts me (and others) more. Worries distract me from living my faith, from sharing love, from giving what I can to help others.
Maybe that’s an important part of our survival (or thriving!) in this pandemic… letting go of our worries, realizing that there are many things that we just can’t know right now, and still continuing to live in a way that reflects God’s love. I’m going to pick up my worry stone, push a few more nagging worries into it, and continue on with this week. I’ll pick up my Worry Stone again when I need it. Maybe you can do the same.
