Autumn is the time of year when I tend to be the most introspective. Perhaps this is, in part, because my father passed away six years ago in early October. When I see leaves slowly begin to change color and then, as if the change happens instantly, burst into vibrancy, my mind subconsciously goes into absorbing, collecting and gathering mode. I gather all the memories of my Dad, catching each one as they drift from tall trees and then quietly sit buried under a massive pile of colorful recollection. He loved everything about Nature and Mother Earth, and I’m grateful to have inherited this gift.
A brilliant scientist, Dad collected rocks. But he did more than just collect them—he listened to rocks and understood rocks as if they were alive, like the plants that he communicated with. I must have inherited the ability to imagine, believe and discover the idea that rocks do talk from Dad because much of what I wrote in Book 3, Fraction in Time, centers on a particular quote I happened upon one day at a nearby cemetery and which is engraved on a low-rise rock wall. The wall encircles a monument in honor of the courageous warrior and leader Chief Seattle, author of Chief Seattle’s Speech wherein he declared:
“Even the rocks thrill with memories of past events. The very dust beneath your feet responds more lovingly to our footsteps because it is the ashes of our ancestors. The soil is rich with the life of our kindred.”
With unexpected reverence, I walked around the wall to read the inscription. As I did so, I had a physical realization—perhaps metaphysical—that I was standing on sacred ground. I was awestruck when I first read this quote and it still resonates with me.
I knew then that this quote was essential to the development of Reilly’s story—where he needed to go, what he needed to do, and who he needed to become. It was as if the rocks on the wall spoke to me!
Note: In a coming issue, I’ll write why the mighty and mysterious rocks of Stonehenge are also integral to Reilly’s story!
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