# Whispers from the Stones

## Markers in the Dust

Milestones line old roads like quiet friends, simple stones etched with numbers that fade under sun and rain. They don't shout achievements or demand attention. Instead, they offer a gentle measure: you've come this far. In life, these markers appear in unexpected places—a first step without falling, a conversation that shifts everything, a quiet evening when worry lifts. They're not grand monuments but humble reminders that distance traveled matters, even if the path winds blindly ahead.

## Pausing with Purpose

We rush past them sometimes, eyes on the horizon, mistaking speed for progress. But stopping at a milestone invites breath, a glance backward. What carried you here? The small choices, the stumbles turned lessons, the hands that steadied you. On this day, December 14, 2025, as winter light shortens, I think of my own: a year of mending what broke, of words finding their way onto pages like these. These pauses aren't delays; they're the heart of the journey, where we gather strength not from miles, but from meaning.

## Steps Beyond the Stone

No milestone is an end. Each one points onward, whispering that the road continues, shaped by what we've carried and left behind. Carry gratitude for the ground covered, lightness for what's next.

*Every stone turned holds a story worth retelling.*