| I like to walk on the beach of Lake Michigan and make
tracks in the sand. There are small, smooth rocks of many different colors scattered
around. The water is cold and the waves roll in and out. As the waves move,
they send the sand back and forth over the rocks and make the rocks smoother and
SMALLER. By mixing all the rock colors together, the sand becomes a light tan and
quite different from the color of any of the separate rocks. I picked up the rocks which
were so warm and smooth. One was white, one was red, one was gray, and one was
black. Together they make light tan sand. I can put the rocks in a row or in a
pile and count them, but the sand gets washed flat in the waves and is impossible to
count. I can walk on the rocks and no one can tell I was there, but the sand records
my passing with tracks very clear. The rocks stay in place while the sand moves
about with every wave.
People are like the beach sand. They come from places that are very different,
but when mixed together they become one. They are too many to count, move about with
every shift, and record the tracks of people passing by.
When I walk with Grandma on the beach we listen to the waves, explore the rocks, and
talk about the fun times we have with David and Matthew. We are saving some smooth
rocks just for you so you can feel what makes the beach sand. |