Worry Stones

Vicki Lane's post about things she keeps in jars got me thinking about the things I keep in jars and bowls and vessels in my home.

I'm partial to natural objects, especially rocks and shells, sea glass and fossils, bugs and leaves. It's a family tradition, to notice treasure laying about and collect for safekeeping. It's also a family eccentricity to use them as decor.

I admit to going a bit overboard on the rocks, but I've had a lifetime to amass this collection - my dad got me hooked when I was a little girl. This is my collection of Lake Superior stones.
(Pay no attention to the large dead moth on top of the rocks.)

They look a lot better wet, so the colors pop:

When I had kids, one of the really cool things we did was revisit my childhood with my parents, gemming in the hills of North Carolina, where treasure is just waiting to be found. We found lots: ruby, garnet, emerald, aquamarine, topaz, tourmaline, amethyst, and my favorite rock name of all time, adventurine.

I keep this hefty collection on the piano, and I'm surprised the glass hasn't given way under the weight.

I keep this big honking bowl full by the tv. I really don't know what to do with them any more. Dad used to polish rocks for fun, but I don't have the patience for a hobby of that long a time frame. It takes a really, really long time to polish rocks. I like having a pile or two around in their natural jagged form, because I like the symbolism and the symmetry of having them set next to the polished ones. I like to know that with enough time and abrasion and worry, you can turn something painful into something smooth and comforting.

This tiny jar is my favorite of Dad's polished stones. The blue beach glass is almost the shape of a heart. He found the little soft, smooth white ones in a stream bed in Delaware, and they were among his favorite creations, because they were so plain an unassuming until they were polished into almost pearls. The blue and white one is the one I carry in my pocket  for my worry stone when my edges are feeling jagged and rough. I  like it's stunning blue, because he had some seriously blue eyes that just sparkled, and it reminds me most of him.

This week has been a bit jagged and moody for me, and I've been wallowing in my emotions more than I care to. So it must be time to put a shiny rock in my pocket and carry on.

Thanks to Vicki, Mary, Angella, Rubye, Jan, Robin, SJ and all my blog friends who help me polish my edges smooth.