Cobblestone Mill

In my favorite part of England – the Cotswolds – men express confidence that their communities will endure by raising structures of stone that are designated to stand proudly for many centuries. This Cobblestone Mill is a symbol of the natural abundance that justifies such confidence. This mill wheel will turn for as long as the stream that powers it will flow, grinding the flour that sustains a simple, satisfying village life.

The mill is the heart of its rural community, and more than that, is an expression of the bounty of nature that blesses this village – for it is constructed from blocks of stone quarried in the streambed itself. The plenty symbolized by the mill truly flows from nature itself. The mill stands alone, yet it is enlivened by a dazzling play of light and share that falls on it from the flowering woods that embrace its solitude.

Its dignity is not diminished, but is instead, enhanced by the dance of color that so delights the eye. We are reminded that beauty – and all else that is good – is a gift of light, bestowed by the sun which also grows the grain that will be ground in this millstone. Cobblestone Mill also reminds us that all blessings flow timelessly from the hand of God.