In Others' Words: Obstacles

"The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks." 

~Wallace Stegner, novelist

One of my favorite sights is a mountain stream. Whenever my family heads to the Colorado mountains, I grab my camera and add to my collection of photographs of mountain streams. I love the way the sunlight hits the water. The way the sun's rays angle through the trees. How sometimes even in June you discover patches of snow and ice along the stream banks. And the sound of the water--it's so relaxing to listen to it rush by.

It's easy to read the words of today's quote and think, "How true. Rocks create a brook's song." Isn't that a lovely thought?

But then ... I had to think about the rocks, the obstacles, in my life. Have I allowed difficulties to produce a song in me--or more of a whine? Would someone be refreshed by the words I speak about the tough times I've faced? 

Photo by Beth K. Vogt