this stone has been in the ocean

rolling 

colliding 

buffeted 

knocked 

rounded 

smoothed 

ground 

shaped 

it’s been quite a journey

but now it lies on the sand on whitley bay

sparkling

translucent

small

alone

at rest

waiting

along comes me on retreat

at peace with god, myself and the world for a moment (and for a change)

then this 

surprise 

gift 

co-incidence

i read somewhere that “god is under every stone if we are paying attention”

in my head i have made this into a necklace, a sign of god’s presence, a reminder

somehow i then lost it

to this moment i have no idea how

i have checked my pockets many times since

i feel

disappointed

empty 

frustrated

but why do i need to grasp it

or hold onto it?

this is enough

this fleeting moment

this gift

knowing and unknowing

faith and doubt

presence and absence

found and lost

at least i took a photograph!