August 10, 2026
“What are these stones to you?”~ Joshua 4:6b The Message
I think of memorial Cairns as symbols of remembrance, like permanent sticky notes along the way, helping us feel connected to those we honor and ensuring their memory stays alive.
The stone that I have had the longest is one I acquired in Michigan on a hot summer day. I was visiting my sister Jane, who was going through a very rough patch. I sensed that she needed a community of people to support her on this part of her journey. I was praying as I went for a run, a practice of moving prayer that I still practice to this day when I go for a morning walk. I noticed a sign on a construction site across the road from me: Coming Soon: South Hills Baptist Church. Everyone is welcome. I stopped to look, and before going further, I noticed a lovely stone that fit perfectly in my hand. I sensed that it was a reminder for me to continue to pray for Jane. About a year later, Jane called me and said, I saw a group of people working at church construction. It was hot, so I stopped at the grocery store, picked up a couple of boxes of popsicles, drove back to the construction site, and gave them the treats. Jane had no idea I’d been praying for her, using the stone as a reminder. Within a few months, it became her spiritual home until she moved to Connecticut.
The stones that cover the island of Iona are over 2,000 million years old. It is said that if you find a stone at Columba’s Bay that has a green streak in it, you will never drown. I couldn’t stop looking for and finding lovely stones as I walked. The only downside was how many I could reasonably bring home in my carry-on-only luggage. Rather than buy Iona souvenirs, I decided it would mean more to my family and friends to bring home a little bit of Iona and their stories.
As I was sorting them before my return trip, it occurred to me that the stones, as lovely as they were, would look even better if I polished them. I searched on Amazon, found a Rock Tumbler for a reasonable price, and ordered it. Rock Tumbling isn’t a fast or clean process. It is a month-long endeavor. The rocks needed to be washed, placed in the barrel along with ceramic bits, covered with water and coarse grit, and then tumbled for 4-6 days. After rinsing them off and returning them and ceramic chips to the barrel, medium grit was added. This time, they were tumbled for 6-8 days. The process was repeated two more times: once with pre-polish grit and tumbled for 6–8 days, then finally with polish grit and tumbled for 7-9 days. It took an entire month, with the wet grit making its way out of the barrel and onto the floor, and the constant noise of tumbling rocks as the background music in my office.
It was worth the effort. All the noise, the dirt, the time, the patience (the hardest part); in the end, this is what they looked like, polished with a little bit of mineral oil and a soft cloth.
Iona Stones
I wonder if we are like those stones, tumbled, scrubbed with grit, messy, and in a long-term transformation that requires patience and believing in possibility rather than the problems. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 