History on my favorite “rock”….Bill and I had come through a rough stretch in our marriage 16 years ago. We had worked through it and were studying Ray Vander Laan’s “Faith Lessons from the Holy Land” video Bible study at Sunday School. Vander Laan taught about how ancient Hebrews placed rocks to mark key events in their lives where God was present. “Standing stones” or “ebenezers”, are a symbol that remind people of God’s miraculous work. We had the opportunity to get these rocks from the family farm and decided to place a “standing stone” in front of our house as an “ebenezer” for what God did in our marriage! So, of course, when we moved in 2005, it had to come with us from 3415 Country Club Court to 4437 Tropical Drive. And when I moved alone in 2021, it had to come, too…. much to the chagrin of my mover who thought I’d lost my mind until I told him the story!
And in 2013, when my parents moved from Dothan to Panama City, they brought their family farm rocks to our house by the lake, too…from my notes on 3/24/2013:
Saturday my Dad and a friend of theirs, Tom, with a trailer and John Deere “dingo” mini loader brought a load of rocks (yes, rocks) to my house from Mom and Dad’s house in Dothan. Most of the rocks came from a family farm up in Barbour County, although I understand some also came from a site in Georgia. Mom didn’t want to leave them behind when they move. We got them placed in our backyard. I, too, have several rocks from the same farm that Bill and I moved here from the Country Club house 8 years ago, as well as a rock from Bill’s family’s home place in southwest Alabama near Monroeville! I thought people would think we were crazy for moving rocks around, but when I talked to Tom he told me about walking into some woods about a mile and toting a huge rock back a 100 yards at the time, resting between stretches. He gathers rocks all over the place as he travels! I should have known. Only another “Rock Nut” would have offered to haul rocks in advance of a move! We didn’t spend too much time placing them, figuring that Mother would want to place them like she wants them later! Thankfully, the rain held off while we did all of this Saturday morning.