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Many readers have asked for the story of The Rock Lady – one that we published as one of the winning entries in our Mothers’ Day contest. So here she is:

The Rock Lady

The lady, who in all ways is a true inspiration to anyone who meets her, is my mother-in-law, Helen Jones-Stone. The only way to describe our incredible Mom is “Extreme”, in every way. At age 97, Mom is extremely mobile and sharp, and still living quite independently in her own home. She has an extreme love for people and animals, always looking for the good in every person and situation, and sharing her love unconditionally. Mom is the extreme optimist, turning a nasty bee sting to the face into a positive experience – all the wrinkles suddenly disappeared! She is the extreme philanthropist. While herself living well below the poverty level, she continues to give a significant portion of her income to her church, orphans and other charities each month. Mom is also extremely adventurous and fearless. At age 70 she “suddenly” remarried (none of us knew she was even “dating”) and took on a new life. Soon after she learned to drive for the first time. Not easy for someone who had no idea where the gas pedal was! With a new found freedom she took to the highways, driving several times to Arizona and Alberta. In her 80’s she learned how to use the computer, and at age 97 continues to check and send emails on a regular basis. There is no stopping this lady.

Mom’s most extreme adventure however is her Happy Stones. In the early 1970’s Mom started to paint stones that she found on the beaches in Victoria BC. Initially she painted some golden eggs to put under a neighbour’s ornamental lawn goose. She then added faces to her stones, and eventually discovered a clever way to proselytize, adding “Jesus sees you now, he loves you” to the bottom of her stones. For over 35 years Mom has been leaving her Happy Stones on beaches, benches, wherever, waiting for someone to find and cherish her stones. At last counting she has painted and given away over 25,000 stones that now make their home all over the world. Remarkably, she continues to her paint stones almost daily, with a dexterity that you can only marvel at. We are so extremely blessed that Helen Jones-Stone, the Happy Stone lady, is our Mom, who inspires us constantly.

Lois Jones