found and lost

this stone has been in the ocean

rolling 
colliding 
buffeted 
knocked 
rounded 
smoothed 
ground 
shaped 

it's been quite a journey

but now it lies on the sand on whitley bay
sparkling
translucent
small
alone
at rest
waiting

along comes me on retreat
at peace with god, myself and the world for a moment (and for a change)

then this 
surprise 
gift 
co-incidence

i read somewhere that "god is under every stone if we are paying attention"

in my head i have made this into a necklace, a sign of god's presence, a reminder

somehow i then lost it
to this moment i have no idea how
i have checked my pockets many times since

i feel
disappointed
empty 
frustrated

but why do i need to grasp it
or hold onto it?

this is enough
this fleeting moment
this gift

knowing and unknowing
faith and doubt
presence and absence
found and lost

at least i took a photograph!

Comments

[Andrew Sillis]

Looks to me
as if this stone
were once a part of a wired security pane
and the pane broke
and the stone was set free
and didn't like the idea of being chained or pocketed again!