Papa and the Rocks

This is my dad... an amazing man in my life.  An amazing man in my kids' lives.  I find it somewhat amusing, ironic maybe, that this man who has been an absolute rock in my life has always had a fascination with rocks.  He is now passing that down to my kids.

They are two weeks into a six week process of polishing a bunch of rocks.  Today they had to take them out, rinse them and put in some different kind of grit or something.  (They were listening, I was just taking pictures!)

Here he's showing the kids the new stuff that they'll be putting in this time and explaining why the change.  I love Teigan's little eye's peeking up beside Papa's arm.



The rocks when they first took them out of the polisher today.



After the rinse, with the new grit... for the next round of tumbling.  It's a long and hard process to get the rough edges down and get to that beautiful reflection stage.  Ever feel like you're in a dark, gritty tumbler with the pounding coming from all sides?  Imagine the beauty and changes when it's all over.





Inspecting other partially polished rocks.  Which ones to take all the way?



Sealing it back up for the tumbling.






I absolutely love this last picture.  That is SO completely my dad.  The hard working hands, so strong, yet so tender.  The only two pieces of jewelry he would ever wear.  His wedding ring of fifty years, and his Jerusalem cross ring.  His wife and family,  and his Lord.  Yes, this man is my rock.

(My husband IS my other rock on this earth.)