My Jar of Stones

       One of my best memories growing up was swimming with the swans on Mullett Lake in Michigan. There was a bevy of about seven or eight of them that would emerge from Little Pigeon River every morning, gliding out of the tube toward our dock where they knew I would be waiting for them.      My mother would warn me to not feed them, but I did. I know I shouldn’t have, but I did it anyway. I sat on the end of the dock as they swam up to me and I handed them small pieces of lettuce, tossing it to the others farthest away.      I have to admit to you right now that I’m not always the brightest person when it comes to wild animals. I love them. Most of them anyway, and I love to be in their presence. When I was young, I enjoyed them more than people. I was very quiet and it seemed that animals didn’t mind that.      Anyway, I won’t prattle on all day about my love for them, but my husband does call me Snow-whit...

      I’ve always spent my summers in northern Michigan . It’s no wonder I’m a lake girl. It was not only gathering stones that filled my days, but also water skiing, diving from the boat off of Red Pine Point (the deepest part of Mullett Lake), and swimming with my sister and our best friend, Kevin; it was packing lunches and meandering down Indian River as we ate. There was an abandoned hotel that I loved to dream up ghost stories about as we passed. We motored across the lake to Topinabee, a tiny town with the best ice cream parlor on the lake. We would get huge Blue Moon Ice Cream scoops and then swim at the beautiful white sandy shore.      Mornings were my favorite time of the day. By 8:00 a.m., I would get in our fishing boat, start the motor, and slowly drive to Kevin’s dock, which was two docks down. Everyone around our cottage was up early, and he would be looking for me after a quick breakfast. We would head through the tube, which once wa...

       Memories are like rocks. There are millions of them everywhere. If you collect rocks, like I do, you will find yourself surrounded by jars and jars of them. Like rocks, our memories are everywhere. If you collect the good ones and think about them daily, you will be renewed with the positive energy they are made of. They are beautiful and a gift from God, because they make us feel good. Remembering is powerful.  God knew that when he gave us our memories. Science confirms the theme of “change your mind,” which runs throughout the bible. Our minds are the single most powerful gift from Him. Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. -Romans 12:2 (New Living Translation)      Like those jars of countless Petoskey stones and blue slags that I collect every year o...