The heart of the matter.

I am an Attractor of hearts. I have always been one to walk with my eyes on Search mode, looking up, around, all about me, as well as what's at my feet. And so often, the shape that jumps out at me is a heart-shape. I see it in reflections, clouds, all over the place. I was at a concert in the summer, and was delighted, when I saw the photo, to find one in the lighting..!

When I lived in Sussex, the beaches were full of beautiful stones with natural, sea-eroded holes in the middle, perfect for threading on rope. Nature is full of such amazing things. When I moved to County Clare, my children were still small, and had grown sharing an awareness of their surroundings. They began discovering a new shape of stone - heart shaped. It amazed me, they would come in from the fields announcing MUM, I got you another heart! Wow!

Some of my childrens gifts - but the white one on the left was from a friends son. I picked them up from the airport and Samuel rummaged in his pocket saying he'd brought something for me from Spain, and produced the white heart. Aw.

I have only found one for myself, quite by accident, this black one, on the shores of Belfast Lough. Pocket sized.

Earlier this year, I was on the beautiful beach at Newcastle, County Down, and my (now taller-than-me son) decided he'd hunt for a heart. The stones and rocks there were blue, with fabulous stripes on them, but they were smooth and rounded and I reckoned he'd not succeed.

But he certainly did. Not only did he find THREE (a bumper crop!) heart shaped stones.

 but he also noticed a really big heart. He was walking ahead of me and stopped in his tracks, and everything about his body language said - I don't believe it. He pointed and said - its there. LOOK!

The moral of this story? Be aware. Look. And laugh when everything works perfectly!