The oldest rocks on earth

Jan 23, 2015

Still Wednesday morning.  Still on Iona.  My angel friend had told me last night that the oldest rocks on the earth’s surface have been around for 4 billion years.  Except at the marble quarry, where they are 4.5 billion years old.  That’s because they were there when the earth was first formed, way down towards the centre, but when Sweden collided with Scotland, everything was turned upside down.  Though quarried in times past, these huge hunks of marble are now just sitting there for pilgrims and walkers to enjoy, with no longer any attempt to secure commercial gain.  They seem to stand as a testament to the grandeur and long term perspective of God, against the short-termism of an economic system always focused on whether or not the next quarter will be better than the last.  The Hebrew collection known as the proverbs of Solomon present wisdom to us as having “been there” when the earth was formed, and once more I reflect on what it means to be a dealer in intergenerational wisdom, what it means to be the supporter, encourager, mentor and friend that my children and grandchildren might need, and whether or not that might be a better paradigm for me to operate from in my work environment as well as my home one.  This seems to fit both my time of life and my personality and skill mix.  This thought keeps on revisiting my brain throughout my sabbatical.  Maybe I need to take heed.