Rocks spread joy in Fayette

Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Such is the philosophy behind the small brightly painted stones, many with inspirational messages, that are being placed individually and in rock gardens all around Fayette County. The Fayette Rocks Kindness Project is the local incarnation of a national program call The Kindness Rocks Project. It began in Cape Cod after a woman named Megan Murphy started writing positive messages on rocks that she left behind on her daily walks on the beach. Her messages inspired others to do likewise, and the ripples began.

Fayette resident Wendy Gallacher found some painted rocks while visiting Florida last year, and took the simple messages to heart. “It put a fire in me that I really wanted to do it here,” she says. Her two young sons enjoy both making and looking for rocks, and they regularly paint rocks to leave behind during walks and errands. “We take rocks with us everywhere,” she says.

Gallacher contacted Murphy for information about starting a group here, believing that this easy, family-friendly activity would be a great addition to the community. She contacted the local municipalities to enlist support, and created a website and social media sites for the Fayette Rocks Kindness Project, using the hashtags #fayetterocks and #TheKindnessRocksProject.

The first rock gard en was installed at Fayetteville First United Methodist Church in the spring, and since then, Gallacher has coordinated more gardens at

Fayetteville City Hall, the Dwarf House and Church Street Park in Fayetteville, Shamrock Park in Tyrone, and in Peachtree City at Picnic Park and outside City Hall. More rock gardens are planned, including at several schools. She wants the gardens and their creators to be as widespread and inclusive as possible.

Gallacher herself has been the source of a quarry’s worth of rocks, despite a busy schedule with work and kids. She has held rock-painting events with Girl

Scouts, summer camps and community groups, and posts pictures on social media. “I believe in this project to my core because of the pure goodness that I see displayed in people of all ages when random acts of kindness are performed to inspire others,” she wrote.

Some rocks are just colored, some depict funny faces; others have single words such as “Love,” “Joy” and “Believe,” and still more share messages such as “Be Strong,” “Faith Over Fear,”

and “You Are Good.” All it takes are some smooth stones, nontoxic paint or markers, and a little spray sealant.

“Wendy and her volunteers are examples of what’s good and lovely about the Fayetteville community,” says Danny Harrison, the city’s public information officer.

The city plans to publish a map of the Kindness Rock Gardens, but at the rate these meaningful messages are multiplying, the next one may be only a stone’s throw away. Jill Howard Church has lived in Fayette County since 1994. Reach her at jillptcblog@aol.com.