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Friday, May 15, 2009

The Rock


Sometime in my life I had a very special rock. It looks like it is shaped something like a boat. A little background is needed for this story.
When I was nine years old, we moved to Spain for four years. And then after that we moved to Mississippi for two years. When we were moving to Spain my mom and step dad decided that we would store some things in the top of our house that we were renting out. Since they have both passed away since then, I can't ask them why. I don't know why they didn't think the attic would ruin these things.
Then last year when my mom died, I remodeled the entire house and put it up for sale. As the sale was ready to close there was an inspection done on the house and that is when I found out that all of this stuff was up there, and was told it all had to come down before the closing of the house.
So, as I was throwing out old magazines, warped books, t.v. trays, jars, etc, I came across THE ROCK. This rock I do not remember. But the note that was attached to it, I recognized as my moms handwriting. My mom had passes away only a few months before this, so I started to cry when I saw the note with her handwriting.
It said. "No matter what, do not throw this rock out. It is Doug's and it is very important to him." Joan, 1974. In 1974 I was nine. that was 35 years ago.
I didn't remember the rock or why it was so important. But I had a mission on my hands to try to figure out why it was so important. I called my sister and told her about the note and the rock, and she pretty much told me that I was crazy trying to figure it out. She then told me, "It is just a rock."
Then I went to our next door neighbors and asked them. They had been my family friends since I was five, and they just looked at me funny too. So then I got online and found a geologist for the state and sent him a note and a photo and asked him what kind of rock it was with once again the story of the note and the rock. He wrote back and told me it was a river rock. And told me that it could have been found in any river in America... Wow I was close to solving it now...
So, on my desk sits, THE ROCK. I look at it every day, and wonder, and wonder and wonder. Why was it so important to me in my life! I am not sure if I will ever know why I needed that rock, and why it was so important, but I do know I have it, and will for many more years.

6 comments:

Lovely Lisa said...

That's an interesting story. Hope you figure it out!

Christine said...

You have the makings of a great book. Perhaps it has magical powers and will take you back in time. It looks to me like it was used as a pulley or something like that. It seems worn as if a rope or chain rubbed against it for a long period of time. Maybe a boat was tied to it on the shore. My husbands family has similar rocks that have spots worn in the center for grinding wheat for tortillas. Good luck with the search.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Kind of like Christine I thought it looked used, but I was thinking of it as a Lamanite war-club.

nephite blood spartan heart said...

Oh yea I meant to ask if You had any idea where it was from? Local or did you live somewhere else that it could have been picked up??

Doug Johnston said...

I have had a lot of people now talk to me about the rock. I love the comments. Maybe there is a book there.

My step dad would take me to Oklahoma every summer so I could have found it there, or if not it was a Utah rock.

It is fun figuring it out.

Cindy Beck, author said...

Touching story. If you ponder how a 9-year-old thinks, it was probably the shape of the rock that attracted you to it.