The above-ground grave markers have stones of memory of the loved one placed on the top as a gesture of love. Angry children and detained Palestinians throw stones at Israeli soldiers. Building codes in Jerusalem dictate certain incorporation of native stone. T he Old City is surrounded with a stone wall. The Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows that Jesus walked, is littered with stone walks, arches, chapels, shops, and homes.
Stones are everywhere.
They speak their own story to us. They communicate the starkness of the place where Jesus was born and lived. They speak of safety and security of a worship space or a dwelling. The stones still speak. My toothbrush had already been packed away for the return trip home by the time I finally found the peace and serenity I'd been searching for throughout the Holy Land.