Picture yourself in the middle of a field….behind you is your past, in front of you is your future. As you look behind you see a number of different objects that represent a collection of where you have been and what you have done with your life. As you gaze ahead you see, standing before you, large objects made of stone. In your hands are a chisel and a hammer. What you do with these tools is your decision, but whatever you do, it is a decision.

The rocks or stones are of all different shapes and sizes…no two are the same, but to proceed in your life you must in some way leave your impressions on these stones. Some are easy to sculpt, others extremely difficult, but one by one each must be left with a sign that you have been there. I guess we could call this field of stones the “Field of Life”. Some of us are just entering the field, as children…..others are in the middle, and some are preparing to leave. If up until now the sculpturing and carvings that you have left on the rocks behind you are not what you consider a good representation of who you are, there are always the stones ahead. Some runners in a race lag behind….until the final stretch. Then all of a sudden they get a burst of energy. What I mean is, it’s not too late to turn it around, if in the past things didn’t seem to go according to plan.

Stones are very strange objects. You can chip away all day and at first it looks like nothing is taking place…but slowly images do start to appear. It takes work…sometimes hard work, to sculpt the future. It’s not always easy in this field called Life, but it’s important that we come to terms with it and see that there is a bigger picture. As we approach each rock some, no matter how we try, don’t succumb to our energy or our thoughts….that’s okay…nobody’s perfect….but you can always say you gave it your best shot.

At the end of the field is a fence, and at the end of our lives we climb over that fence, and I believe, waiting on the other side, is God, and our deceased family and friends. Slowly we turn and together with God we look back and see our life’s sculptures….they represent who we were and what we did. It may be hard for us to see the “failures”, but I have a feeling each one of us will hear lines like “Don’t be sad, you did your best”. If you fail along the way, if you can say, “I did my best”, it does matter. What we all want to see, I think, is a field of many beautiful sculptures…sculptures of Love, Hope, and Humankindness.

Each one of us are artists. We may not be painters, but we do, in our own way, paint our futures. The creativity that we need is within us. As we start this New Year, the stones await our vision.

Follow your Heart,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1998 Jennifer Avalon