Shirley's most recent and continuing act of kindness was to "rescue" a wee scrap of a kitten, now called Roo, by buying him in a filthy condition from someone who simply couldn't care less about her!

Both Tony and Shirley enjoyed handling the Sconestone and learning about the purpose of the Journey of Kindness.

An article about the Sconestone in the ELTA Newsletter:

The Sconestone

  The beautiful hand-carved Sconestone, in its equally beautiful hand-carved wooden box, was a highlight of Members' day.  The current Keeper of the Stone brought it along for all to see and hear about it.

 The Sconestone was carved by a Canadian of Scottish ancestry, Warren MacLeod, based in Nova Scotia, in honour of the 'Year of Homecoming' in Scotland in 2009, when people from all over the world were encouraged to come back to their ancestral home, and learn about their Scottish roots.

 Warren was coming to Scotland not just to go to his family's area but also to attend a music festival led by Runrig (one of many cultural events which took place throughout 2009) in the town of Scone, which used to be the Royal town of Scotland, where the kings were crowned. Now, the kings were crowned on a square slab of stone known as the Stone of Scone, or the Stone of Destiny. According to legend, Jacob in the Old Testamant laid his head on that very stone when he was in the desert, dreaming of the ladder between heaven and earth, and over the years it had made its way to Scotland. It was then stolen by the English and placed in Westminster Abbey, whence it was stolen back by a group of Scottish students in the 1950s, but it was taken back to Westminster before being returned to Edinburgh Castle in 1996. There remains to this day controversy as to whether the stone in the Castle is the original or a copy, with the orginal safely hidden in the care of a 'keeper' elsewhere in Scotland; we Scots know what we believe!

 And so, inspired by the story of the Stone of Scone, and wanting to bring something from New Scotland to Old Scotland, Warren MacLeod carved the Sconestone. He used as his basis the decorated stone orbs which have been found in several neolithic sites and graves around Scotland. As nobody knows the symbolism or function of these orbs, Warren invested the Sconestone with his own meaning - it carries around the world the message of Scottish hospitality and kindness and brotherly love between nations, and is passed on periodically to a new 'Keeper', whose job it is to tell people about it, let people hold it, ask questions, and encourage acts of kindness.

 At the concert given by Runrig in Scone it was presented by no less than Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, to its very first Keeper, the Rev. Neil Galbraith, a tireless charity worker from Glasgow, whose work in Africa is supported by Runrig. Now it's come to Germany, and it's time to pass it around here and let it work its magic. If you're interested in borrowing it to show to classes or other  groups, or just seeing it yourself, get in touch. 

But remember, if you touch it, it comes with consequences: you are pledging to do an act of kindness to your fellow humans, for animals or for the planet; something extra, however large or small, that you wouldn't be doing anyway.

The Sconestone has not been idle, but travelling!

The current Keeper is very aware of the lineage of the Stone's journey, and keen to take it on new paths. From New Scotland to Old Scotland in the year of Homecoming, the Stone then went out from Scone, from Scotland, to the world, inspiring people by its ageless beauty and bearing its message of border-crossing understanding, of kindness between fellow humans, regardless of where they are in the world.

And then it found its way back to Scotland to "recharge its Celtic batteries" as it were, and the Highland community of the last Keeper gave it the warmest of welcomes home.

From the Highlands of Scotland it has now traversed the Lowlands, via K. in East Kilbride, whose family have embraced the idea of spreading kindness and compassion in their community and schools, to L. in Glasgow, who harboured the Sconestone in her home on the Clyde for the inspiration and pledges of the visiting colleagues, friends and fellow Runrig fans, and over on the ferry to mainland Europe, where another Scot, a Runrig fan too, who was privileged to be at the seminal concert in Scone where the Stone was sent on its initial journey, and even to hold the Stone, is taking it on further journeys to new fields, and new chances to engage the hearts and minds.

The Stone is on the move! Watch this space.