.jpg)
The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. ~Psalm 18:46
Last year, one of my blog entries features the significance that rocks and rock collecting has played in granddaughter, Virginia's, young life. You can read all about it here.
My friend, and fellow blogger, J. D. Wininger, who pens weekly reflection on his site, Around the Cross-Dubya, takes special interest of this particular post. He has certain rocks he has held dear over the years, and with no grandchild of his own showing special interest in collecting, he asks if I think Virginia would like to have them. Of course, I answer in the affirmative, and J. D. promptly mails these special stones to us, knowing it will be a while before Virginia can properly thank him for the gift.
When they arrive, Danny and I show them to Virginia via FaceTime, promising that she can take them home after our vacation time together in June. As you can see in the pictures below, Virginia is having the time of her life.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
J. D. has taken the time to identify certain favorite rocks in detail, and Virginia soaks up all those facts, and let her new "grandparent" know just how special they are to her, too, and she loves knowing where they came from. By the time she's finished typing her thank you, it is a page long, so descriptive, detailed, and heart-felt. My own heart is bursting with pride as I read her letter, knowing how much her words will mean to J. D.
Dearest Martha Jane,
ReplyDeleteJust too bad that both links do NOT work... author J.D. Wininger indeed has been VERY generous for passing his rocks on to Virginia!
In your previous post he did thank her for the letter. Very special all together and I'm glad Virginia does fully understand this act of generosity and managed to express her joy by words of gratefulness!
Hugs,
Mariette
PS with the simple jdwininger.com your readers ought to find his site and visit!
Mariette, I'm glad you brought this to my attention. Yes, you can certainly find J. D. at jdwininger.com; that's the link I shared, so I can't understand why it didn't work. As for my link to the previous blog? Go figure! Blogger is just acting up.
DeleteLove and blessings!
💞
DeleteOur youngest had a rock collection, but it was common rocks you'd find anywhere. He and I did share something of a passion for collecting shells on the beach when we'd go to the Gulf Coast for vacations. My wife ended up putting them in glass jars, and they can be found around the house.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful about the shell collections, Glynn - I'm sure it brings back great memories every time you look at them! Virginia just adores this gift from Mr. J. D., and will treasure them just like he hoped she would.
DeleteLove and blessings!
O Oh what a great blog post this is. And what a surprise for her that she got these stones! Valuable gift and very sweet of that gentleman. fI love the nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteI often pick up rocks in the forest. Especially Jasper. I like the red stones. One day I will buy a machine to make them beautiful.Have a nice weekend, Martha Jane!
Thank you, Aritha, for your kind words here. So glad you enjoyed the photos! And yes, Mr. J. D. is a very sweet and kind soul, always quick to think of others before himself. I understand that my link to his webpage is broken above, but you can simply type jdwininger.com in your search bar.
DeleteLove and blessings!
It's not nice to make an old man cry; but know they were tears of joy as I was most humbled by your characterization, photos, and words about your Miss Virginia and her reaction to my meager gift. She is proof positive of my long-held belief of "You get what you give in this life." I pray she continues sharing her heart and faith with many folks as she sows seeds of faith into the lives around her.
ReplyDeleteThat is my prayer, too, J.D.! And I'm so sorry this made you cry, but if they were tears of joy, then that's a good thing in the long run. I'm happy that my words and photos spoke to your heart, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a moving testimony! I'm so touched -- both by the generosity of "Mr. J.D." and Virginia's sincere appreciation. Perhaps someday, Virginia will pay those rocks (and the story behind them) foward to her own daughter. Imagine!
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely something to think about, Myra, to be sure. It is difficult for this Gammie to even imagine Virginia as a grandmother herself, but that day is more than likely to come after I'm long gone. So glad you enjoyed the post!
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
How generous of Mr J. D. Wininger to donate his rock collection to Virginia; and how gracious of her to compose such a nice letter of thanks. We seem to have forgotten to say thank you these days. Time was we always wrote letters of thanks. I'm sure Virginia will treasure and remember this act of kindness from Mr J. D. Wininger.
ReplyDeleteOn a different, (and perhaps related), matter. Did you know that here in the UK most seaside resorts and big cities sell their own "rocks"?
It is a confectionery, usually in the shape of a stick 12 inches long, made up of three parts of granulated sugar to one part of glucose syrup, mixed together in a large copper pan of water. The stick is hard, (hence rock) and tastes usually of mint, although with other flavours also available. Usually, right through the stick, the name of the holiday resort is written all the way through the stick: e.g. Blackpool Rock, London Rock, Edinburgh Castle Rock.
Here's a photo, you can just about see the writing right through the stick of rock.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Treasure-Island-Sweets-Sticks-Rock/dp/B004PXOIAG/ref=pd_vtp_sccl_2_3/262-5748287-9825318?pd_rd_w=2LFS2&content-id=amzn1.sym.2204c855-5dd7-4df3-b470-8459f4c43f4a&pf_rd_p=2204c855-5dd7-4df3-b470-8459f4c43f4a&pf_rd_r=0YA8J748ZCXK22PRR108&pd_rd_wg=F3Cb8&pd_rd_r=cbcf418c-6a2a-42bb-baf1-f5686e7839b5&pd_rd_i=B004PXOIAG&psc=1
God bless.
I had no idea that these existed, Victor! Thanks so much for sharing the link and allowing us to take a peek at these unusual "rocks."
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Mr. J. D. has the kindest of hearts. I hope you, and all the other readers here, will check out his blog. Inspirational Christian writing and reflections.
Love and blessings!
Martha, this post is so heart-warming!! Your dear Virginia is such a lovely young girl and I know your friend's gift and that he appreciated her letter will be a reminder, always, of being generous and caring. Thanks for sharing!! xo
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that this post touched your heart, Terri, which is, indeed, a generous one! I am so very touched and pleased by the initiative Virginia took in this instance, and it fills me with hope for the future we are leaving in the hands of our grandchildren, taught well by their parents. In this, I will continue to rejoice!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I love how one gift leads to another gift, how one blessing leads to another blessing, on and on they go!
ReplyDeleteYes, they do, Lisa! Blessing upon blessing . . .
DeleteLove and blessings!
Great scripture verse. I love the pics of your granddaughter and the rocks. I always collected bunches of them growing up by Lake Superior. I still enjoy it,
ReplyDeleteThat's neat to know that you still enjoy collecting rocks, Cheryl. I'm hoping that Virginia will make this a lifetime habit, too.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Virginia has had a good or some good teachers in her life. The art of writing a thank you has seemed to go the way of the dodo bird. Thanks for keeping it alive in her.
ReplyDeleteVirginia has been fortunate in having good teachers, Bill, especially in this day and time. Wokeness is a scourge, and too many teachers in the public schools have fallen prey to its whims. I do wish we could afford to give all the girls a private education, but Sarah is making sure she monitors what is being taught and exposes the kids to real history, etc.
DeleteLove and blessings!
This post is special for a couple of reasons, Martha. First because I love and appreciate both you and our mutual friend, Mr. J.D. But then it occurred to me as I read it that rocks aren't the only enduring things in this story. Words can have that quality, too. They tend to linger from one generation to the next and their impact often grows with time. I love the fact that not only did Virginia deliver her response in words that could be framed, but that J.D. framed them. Thanks for sharing another glimpse of your life, your heart, and the faith that you're passing along to Virginia and the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, Ron - you've shared such lovely sentiments here! Our words do matter to the generations who have gone before and those yet to come. I thought I'd have to "pull teeth" to get Virginia to write a proper thank you to Mr. J. D., but she went all out with an eagerness I could never have expected. I have to say, I'm very proud of her and the way in which she is growing up.
DeleteAnd to say that J. D. is a gem of a person (no pun intended) is the understatement of century.
Love and blessings!
Oh wow, what a wonderful collection of rocks she has! And what a great story. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the story, Marja! Yes, Virginia's rock collection is certainly growing.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, this is great and I couldn't love it more! How kind of J.D. to send the rocks to Virginia. And they are each interesting and beautiful in their own way. Thanks for sharing and the photos. God bless.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed this post, Karen! Yes, J. D. is a person overflowing with kindness, and I'm honored that Virginia was a recipient of that kindness. She will forever treasure these rocks.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Virginia would probably love our sweet friend, Katie Pressley, as she absolutely LOVE rocks, has collected them for years, and she also makes them into beautiful jewelry. You/Virginia can view her & her twin sister's channel and see the details of a trip she recently took out west where she collected more rocks at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPLlnsyouI
ReplyDeleteOh, Cheryl, I will definitely check out Katie's video, and refer my daughter to it so she can show Virginia. Thanks so much for passing this info on!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a beautiful story... I love how blogging brings such precious blessings into our lives! Such a treasure to see the way rocks have blessed your lives!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked the story, Marilyn! And yes, I've made so many unexpected friends through blogging over the years - such special and meaningful connections!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I love the way the joy of blessing has kept growing in concentric circles! First the stones blessed you all, then the letter--for the givers/senders and the receivers. And now we, your readers also get to enjoy the blessing--vicariously. Thank you for sharing this delightful story, Martha!
ReplyDeleteOh, Nancy, yes! The story of the stones has been one of blessing upon blessing. Isn't it amazing how one person's generosity and thoughtfulness can get the ball rolling in God's economy, reaching out to others to bless their lives, too? So very thankful for the love J. D. showed to Virginia, and in turn, allowed me to share such gratefulness with all of you.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How wonderful. Blessings for the week to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment, Liberty Belle! Hope you enjoyed meeting Virginia.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How kind of Mr. J. D. Wininger to give Virginia his rock collection!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story, Martha!
Oh, I know, Veronica! I still can't get over Mr. J. D.'s generosity and thoughtfulness. It certainly was not lost on Virginia. I don't remember when I've seen her so excited to receive such a special gift.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How wonderful! Mr. JD is such a fabulous guy. He has been an encourager to me through my journey with cancer. Love his blog, too!
ReplyDeleteOh, Beckie, what a small but meaningful world we share as Christian bloggers! I'm amazed every time I learn of the "cross-over" we all seem to share, especially when we least expect it.
DeleteI do hope many of my followers will also follow you and J. D. because of this "coincidence." From the beginning, God has had a plan for our paths to meet, so He's not surprised in the least!
Love and blessings!