the story of the stone.

While walking through a local stone quarry, I spotted three stones. One stood alone: big and square on a single palette at the far end of the aisle. In the middle, two clung together tightly bound with wire.

I couldn’t take my eye off of the first stone. It was perfect for one particular client – stately, solid, strong, balanced – but ever-so-slightly leaning to one side, able to stand alone. Though the design was not yet finished, I knew these three were the ones. So with permission they were purchased and delivered, awaiting placement day.

My mind would often wander to these stones, twisting, turning, contemplating them with every chance I’d get, eagerly anticipating construction day. One. Two. Three. Two kind of matching, one standing alone.

We finished the design. We coordinated the installation crew and they arrived, bobcat in tow. Moving them one by one, the driver lined up the stones, taking care to separate the three so I could get a good look at all sides. Now they were in a row: one, two, three.

But something was off, something looked different. An underside of one was exposed – the side between the two that clung together. Now everything changed: this stone was a match for the lone soldier, the square stone! The two that I thought would be together need now be separated and the one who was to stand alone would now have a partner. With several flips and turns by the bobcat I spotted the angle I was looking for: just one more turn, now nudge it just an inch or two, and the two from opposite sides of the rock pile slid together for just the right “fit”.