Lost Pebbles

First pebble ... second pebble ... third pebble ... didn't I missed something?

I think I have to count them again .....
First pebble ... second pebble ... ah-huh, I lost my count again ......

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It's already February, and still on that same sidewalk, that same old man is still seen ... patiently counting pebbles ... again and again ... under the heat of the morning sun ... everyday on weekdays, and now even on Sundays.

Seven months have already passed since I first saw him, and yet he is still engrossed with the pebbles before him - without any sign of tiredness. He must be up to something. Could it be that he don't know how to count? Could it be that he forgot something? Or, is he looking for a lost pebble ... or perhaps, for new ones?

That man really made me think a lot, that sometime I felt that I even lost my count of the pebbles I have. I have lots of them, I know. They came in all forms and luster. They're all priceless ... truly God-sent. I found them during the times I needed one ... during the times I wish I have one. Those pebbles are my life's treasures ... not just for a season, or some very good reason they played in my life ... but for a lifetime. I know that most of the time I tend to set aside some them ... not because I am tired of them nor because I want to neglect them ... but maybe because I want something new ... something I can't define ... something I can never fathom.

Could it be that the pebble I am looking for is something special? Something different? Is it something near me? Something far? Can somebody show me it's dimension? Should I need to look ahead to see its shine? But what if it shines no more? What if it's just an ordinary pebble that I used to neglect ... I used to kick out of mu sight?

Whatever it is ... wherever it is ... I am sure it's worth the dime. It would be worth all my efforts, and worth all the other pebbles I would have to set aside.

(02.08.2004)