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diff --git a/src/md/41_Legendary_Rocks.md b/src/md/41_Legendary_Rocks.md deleted file mode 100644 index 41db49d..0000000 --- a/src/md/41_Legendary_Rocks.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,72 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Legendary Rocks ---- - -Life Lesson: Rely on God's appraisals for what has real value in this -life. - -One of my favorite duties as a grandfather is taking the grandchildren -on exciting expeditions in the river bottoms near the homestead house in -Ridgefield. Whenever they come over and the weather is pleasant, we will -pack a bag full of snacks and pile onto one of the four -wheelers.{width="6.5in" -height="4.875in" alt=""}We ride the four wheeler down to the old Pioneer -Cemetery and park it at the entrance gate. Next we walk down a road that -descends down to the bottoms. There we have a great time eating snacks -and exploring the many ponds, creeks and marshes of the river -bottoms.{width="6.5in" -height="4.875in" alt=""}There are many ways to get dirty and muddy, but -that\'s the whole point \-- to get grubby and have a good time doing -it.{width="6.5in" -height="4.875in" alt=""}On one of these occasions, I was quite amused -about what developed as we were coming back home. This was in the Spring -of 2017. The winter rains had been particularly heavy and washed out -large sections of the road. There were thousands of large round river -rocks strewn about, most of which were rather plain grey rocks that had -been smoothed by years of tumbling in the riverbeds. Occasionally, you -could find one that was a little different from the rest. Perhaps it was -white instead of grey. Some of them were reddish or nearly dark purple. -Some of them had steaks of quarts or other interesting features that -made them stand out from the other dull grey ones.\ -\ -On our journey back home, as we walked on the road back up the hill -to the cemetery, Grady decided to assume the role of \"gemstone -expert.\" Whenever he saw a particular rock of interest, he would pick -it up and use an appropriate adjective to classify it. The first few -rocks were described by phrases such as \"Oh here\'s a cool one\" or -\"this one is kind of pretty.\" Now Madden and Charly were quite eager -to assume the role of \"gemstone pack-mules.\" They were -enthusiastically willing to receive Grady\'s choices of the best rocks -and incorporate them into their own personal treasure trove.\ -\ -Soon, both Madden and Charly had all the rocks they could carry, but we -were only half-way up the hill and there were plenty of treasures left -to discover. Madden\'s pockets were so full of rocks that his pants were -on the verge of falling to his ankles, but he was determined to get all -his priceless treasures back home. Charly didn\'t have pockets, so she -clutched all her treasures to her chest with both arms. When Grady -pointed out another rock on the ground, she would bend over to get it -and loose several from her collection in the process.\ -\ -It was impressive to observe Grady\'s skill at filling his role. His -adjectives got progressively stronger as he went on. \"Pretty\" and -\"cool\" progressed to \"awesome\" and \"amazing.\" Soon he was all the -way up to using \"spectacular\" and finally \"legendary.\" I really -couldn\'t tell if he actually believed his own sales pitch. His -enthusiasm was infectious and convincing, but I thought I detected a -slight impish grin in his expression. After all, he wasn\'t carrying a -single rock and yet his younger brother and sister were staggering up -the hill with all they could carry. Someday I\'ll have to ask him if he -was having a little fun at their expense or if he was genuinely -convinced of the immense value of his gemstone appraisals.\ -\ -It caused me to reflect a bit about the experience. It made me wonder -about how willing I am to believe the sales pitch of the worldly -salesmen. Is it possible that I am just as easily convinced to carry a -burden of stones through life, whose value is probably not nearly as -high as purported by the \"subtle craftiness\" of those who \"lie in -wait to deceive?\"\ -\ -As I pondered later over the experience, I became grateful for the -knowledge that we have a reliable source of appraisals we can trust to -help us assign value to that which will truly bring lasting joy. |