Tonight, I just have to share the devotional for today’s word. I couldn’t summarize this any better (plus, to be honest, it’s Friday night, and this Mama is tired.)

The Israelites were on the brink of a promise fulfilled. When they crossed the Jordan River, they would be in the Promised Land, closing a forty-year trek across the desert away from slavery in Egypt. To mark the place of their crossing, twelve stones, one for each Tribe of Israel, were stacked into a pillar. The stones did more than mark a place along the riverbank where the peoples’ feet crossed.

The stones also held a collective memory and a story of a people’s journey. These words of Joshua stand out, “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them…” The stones will prompt the telling of the story and through the story’s telling, another generation of God’s children will experience God’s ever-present love and commitment.

Each of us has ‘stone pillars’ that commemorate a piece of our life’s story lived in, with, and under God’s mercy and love. To the extent that we invite others to visit our ‘stones,’ we welcome them into our story and introduce to them, through our experiences, a God of faithfulness and love.

Let that sink in. I love that last paragraph. We do each have stone pillars that represent our own life story, our faith, our love, and our families. When we share these “stones” with friends, we welcome them into our story.

I feel like many of my blog entries this Lent have been about parts of my life’s stone pillars… and by putting them out there, I have welcomed new people into learning more about who I am, who I want to be, what’s important to me, and most of all who has blessed me with all of the above. God.

Some of the pillars that make up my life consist of my parents, my family, my childhood home, my grandparents’ home; Winona, MN; LaCrescent, MN where I met Hubby; and of course various places around Minnesota where I find memories of my own little family.

I have always been attracted to bodies of water and rocks. As a young girl, I always would sit down by the pond behind our house and sit on the rocks. I’d watch the fish, the ducks, and the wind blown tree limbs on the far weeping willow. I found such peace there.

As a child, I loved visiting downtown Chicago and walking along the river or down along Lake Michigan. It felt so serene and quiet compared to the bustling of the city.

In high school and on a summer vacation, I fell in love with LaJolla Coves, in LaJolla, California. I loved sitting on a huge rock reading my book, listening to the waves crash on the shore. I found peace there.

In college, I found solace down on the Mississippi River or walking around the two Lakes in Winona. When I was stressed out, tired, or just needed some “me time,” you could find me near the water.

As a wife and a mom, I find peace biking the 2 miles from our house to the Mississippi River with Hubby and the boys. I love when we get up to the park, get off our bikes and just watch the water. I love the conversations we have sitting up there. I love watching them skip rocks. I just love being with them…away from technologies, work, homework, and the “STUFF” that crowds our daily lives.

In summer, my absolute favorite place to go is up to Duluth, Minnesota. Hubby brought me there in 2003 for our honeymoon. I think I left part of my heart there and it makes me so happy to return there each summer. (We just started this tradition a few years ago!)

I love Canal Park, but then I love Two Harbors and the various beaches along the way. I love the time our little family spends up there each summer. I snapped this picture last summer as I sat in an Adirondack chair near the fire pit and Kirby kept running back to me and bringing me “special rocks” he picked at the beach. I have a photo of just the rocks, but I also snapped this one too….with Kirby grinning in the background. I think our time on Lake Superior is pretty special to him and his brother too.

Tonight’s prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the places of crossing in our lives and for being with us every step of the way. Help us mark life’s most significant moments in ways that invite others into our story and tell those around us of your love and commitment. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Have a blessed weekend! See ya here tomorrow!

Melissa