In my last post I talked about our annual Family Retreat at La Casa de Maria. This time I’ll share a secret family ritual that we have enjoyed during the retreat over the years.
Afternoons at La Casa are less structured than the mornings and evenings so one afternoon we grab our kids and head down to the beach for some family time. A number of years ago we found that someone had stacked stones to make a series of freeform temporary sculptures. Since I’m an architect and my wife and kids are all artistically inclined, we took the opportunity to make some sculptures of our own. Years later, what started as an impulse is now a favorite time of the week because it’s a chance to simply be ourselves.
As I look at the photos of this year’s creativity, I realize that stacking stones is an apt metaphor for what we do in life. No two sculptures are ever alike because the stones demand different solutions. No two people will stack the stones in the same way. There’s inherent risk and reward. Do you pick the safe placement that will withstand the wind and inquisitive touch of passersby? Or do you build some crazy cantilever that may only have a moment of glory before clattering back to the sand below? Will you try to build the same tower over and over again because it worked once in the past? How do you build the same stack when the stones are all different?
It’s all about balance.
Of course, we don’t build our stacks in silence. There’s the usual family banter of encouragement and criticism about the work at hand, but after a while the conversation drifts into important exchanges about our children’s lives. In recent years, as the relationship between parent and child has adapted to adulthood, these conversations have become more and more significant – how do we deal with the challenges of life, the joy, the sadness? How do we take risks? Do we lean on our family when we need to?
How do we stack our stones?
Around the World in 30 Days 
Hello, Michael — I am Vicki Dennis, a friend of Kathryn’s. I am part of the painting group which gathers each September to paint together at Joyce Nance’s house at the Hood Canal. I am following Kathyrn’s adventures in Bali with great interest. I am so interested in the area and the work you all are doing there. She suggested that I read your blog, and I enjoyed your entries so very much! Thank you for sharing your adventures. I look forward to reading more about your trip, and hearing even more details from Kathyrn at the Canal. Thanks for taking time to record your thoughts and impressions of a marvelous trip that most of us only dream of undertaking!
Welcome, Vicki. I love having artists follow the blog and I really appreciate your comments. Kathryn sent me a photo today from Bali – looks like she’s enjoying herself and will be totally relazed when I join her in a few days.
-Michael
If you are asking me how I stack my stones, I would need to look back at my life to recognize that there is a significant pattern. My stones all stack upon something massive — something so significant to my life that it shapes the way my “stones” of life lean, fall, sit and sway.
In common terms we assume boulders as being too large for people to move which is all the more reason for me to come to my own understanding that in my spiritual life and worldly life, God is at the center of my “boulder” which connects the two worlds seamlessly. I willingly surrender to know that I am powerless without. I can’t move “boulders” alone but with God’s grace, I become supernatural by being filled with His spirit to overcome being bound to anything unwanted or desired in my life. He gives me discernment to place rocks where and when I need to, all the while, protecting and guiding me at times my placement is unsteady.
I can’t wait until the next blog! Here’s to safe travels and bountiful experiences…
~Tita
Glad to have you along, Tita. Thanks for sharing your comments, too. I’m carrying your Ohana spirit with me around the world.
-Michael