The Brightest Stone in the Road

The road of life is never easy

with all its ups and downs,

harder still with rocky ground;

and when all the stones in the road are gray

despair is an easy companion,

all too willing to lead us astray

into a void of darkness.

But from time to time a stone

in the road catches our eye,

its color dazzling,

its brightness, its brilliance providing

a stark contrast against the gray;

its beauty catches us off guard,

stuns us until we

stop and stare

in admiration of one that would dare

survive

to outshine all others.

And that stone often speaks to us,

converses with our very hearts

and tells us

we, too, have the power to shine,

to stand out against

the desolation that surrounds us;

we do not have to be

a part of the gray;

we can be apart from the gray,

and then we continue along our way,

a little wiser for the wisdom,

a little brighter for having been touched

by the brightest stone in the road.

For Jeremy Swartz

May 22, 2000

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