46 Dresses and a Love Stone

I was shopping at Sou Wester, the lone gift shop-restaurant, tourists stop at the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse on the rocky but picturesque Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia.  Not paying attention to the line that blocked the 2^nd floor, I dropped off all the souvenirs from my arms by the cashiers and announced I would return shortly to pay for all that after I took a look-see on the 2^nd floor. She looked at me puzzled but replied “sure, let me opened it for you”……did I realize then that the 2^nd floor was CLOSED. Oops!!! But the lady was kind enough to oblige.

I walked around the 2^nd floor while everybody on the tour was having breakfast downstairs at the restaurant. It was cold and rainy outside, gray sky above the rocky coast with a light house, as if a Steven King story was about to unfold…..  The 2^nd floor was just additional junky stuff, T-shirts, toys, plush stuffed lobsters, postcards and a basket full of colored gem stones. 

I stopped in front of the basket of gem stones, a pink stone polished into the shape of a heart with the word “LOVE” etched on it, caught my eyes. I picked it up and starred at it, turned it around only to see the label $8.99. Decided I don’t need it, got a good collection of color gem stones going already and don’t need to spend another $10.00 on a small stone I have no use for. Put the stone back in the basket and went look-see in other corners. The old wooden floor board cracked along with every move I made. 

Somehow I circled back and picked up that same stone again, the pink stone with the word “LOVE” etched onto it. I really don’t need another pink gem stone, had no reason to spend the money on another stone but somehow, something is egging me on to buy the stone…….if you don’t buy it now, you may never return to Peggy’s Cove to get another one like this one and if you don’t need it, so what, just $8.99 + tax, big deal…… FINE, I bought the stone. Did not feel much connection to it, tossed it in my luggage, brought it home, left it on my desk among the small collection of stones I already have.

3 weeks went by……

JS was going on a Guatemala mission trip with his church. He was telling us that Ms. Bettye had made 46 little girls dresses for his church group to take to Guatemala as gifts to the local kids. I was fascinated and curious so JS showed me those dresses already packed and loaded in the back of his car; 46 little dresses, 46 different pieces of cloth. 46 different patterns. 46 dresses, each is unique and precious.  Each dress was hand-made with love.

It then dawned on me the pink stone I bought from Peggy’s’ Cove was NOT for me, it was for Ms. Bettye. I was merely the carrier to bring it home for Ms. Bettye. She IS the rightful owner of that pink stone of LOVE from Nova Scotia.  She graciously accepted the stone.

Sometimes it is the way events unfold that made me pause to contemplate life; seemingly unrelated events woven into the fabric of life, how places from faraway circled back to the home front, it is the mystery of life that makes me wonder exactly how does this thing called LIFE works???