Chuck's Rock
Do you have people in your life that you depend on no matter what? They support you through both the good times and bad, hard times and sad. For me that was always my Dad. He loved me unconditionally; he was my rock. Let me step back for a bit to clarify, even though my Dad always supported me, that didn’t deter him from being disappointed in something wrong I did, or keep him from grounding me when I misbehaved. There were always consequences to my actions. He taught me right from wrong and held me to those standards. I’m reminded of that often, especially whenever I vacation at my brother and sister-in-law’s cabin in the north woods. Sitting prominently near the front entrance walk, a beautiful, and very large, sedimentary rock that has become known as “Chuck’s rock.”
Once when I was in high school, a few girlfriends and I thought it would be “funny” to mustard (the common yellow variety) a girl’s car that had stolen a boyfriend away. Well, you can imagine that didn’t work out well for us. We were discovered, parents were called and my Dad drove me to the girl’s home to apologize to her and her parents, then promptly grounded me. Thank goodness the mustard came off in the carwash or I would have been monetarily responsible for fixing the damage. The lesson he taught me that night stuck with me to this day. Hindsight, I never would have intentionally hurt someone or someone’s property but got caught up in the moment.
On another occasion during my teens, I disrespected my Mom and he immediately grabbed me by the shirt and told me to never disrespect her again. In that moment, I may not have realized how important that lesson was but as an adult it meant everything and still does.
To me, that beautiful rock symbolizes my Dad’s love, strength, guidance, leadership, and support as the patriarch of our family. I can’t think of a better place for Chuck’s rock to rest than in the beautiful north woods he loved. If you have a person in your life you’d consider your rock, let them know how their guidance and support shaped you. If they’ve already passed, then honor their memory in the best way you know how.
xoxox…..Sheryl
PS….Chuck’s rock was discovered by my Dad when he and my Mom were building their house. When my brother decided to move it up north, he didn’t realize what a feat it would take. He loaded the rock using the John Deere 2510 with a front-end loader, which could barely lift it, painstakingly placed the rock on a trailer, carefully hauled it 300 miles north, then tried to use a steel bar to walk it off the trailer, which wouldn’t budge. He then chained the rock to a big tree, I’m sure said a prayer, put the truck in four wheel drive, and floored it. LOL.
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