I’d never heard of Cork, Ireland until I saw it on our British Isles itinerary. We left Southampton and had a day at sea before we landed in Cork. We planned an excursion to visit The Blarney Castle.
Blarney Castle is now a partial ruin with a few accessible rooms and battlements. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. Tourists visiting the castle may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. I learned that the line to kiss the stone could take up to an hour and a half, so I passed on the opportunity.
This is a shot from the ground looking up at the stone that people came to kiss.
There are extensive gardens surrounding the castle, so I decided to spend my time there. I found a bench that looked like wood but was really stone. I sat down and thought of Ruth. She was supposed to be on this cruise with us. We agreed to go with our friends during a dinner conversation on a Friday and the following Tuesday she was gone.
That thought was running through my mind when I looked down at the ground in front of the bench. There was a white, heart shaped stone staring me in the face. Ruth collected heart shaped stones wherever she traveled.
That’s when I decided to look at the gardens as Ruth might have. She would have sought out the little things, while I focused on the large. Little is sometimes better. You see things more clearly.
Ruth would have loved the walk through the garden. She would have seen it as a blending of old with new. She saw the world differently than most and those who loved her loved her vision.
When I tried to see what she might see, I saw the details that I would have missed with a simple stroll on my own. And yes, I brought the white heart shaped stone home with me.
💗