The texture of this face is remarkable. He looks like an army sergeant sporting a crew cut, or a boxer who has been through a few too many rounds and has since retired from the ring. The stone is unusually like a sculpture, it is not just a face, we have the whole head and part of the neck, it could almost be on display in a museum. And yet despite the ravages of time, of personal experience, there is a peacefulness about the face; he has been patched up, layer upon layer, one eye may be slightly bruised, the nose squashed to one side, and yet he is here.

Meanwhile, in language, we have seen how “earth” and “heart” are connected (as are “soil” and “soul”). Perhaps when we die, a part of us remains here. Certainly, in our earthly life, we invest a lot. We have seen the connection between “heart” and “fear” (two steps in the alphabet, addition of t). There is also the obvious connection with “hear”. For us to effect the short but difficult journey from the “head” to the “heart” (d-t, addition of r), we must open our ears and “hear” the Word of God. This is why you will find “see” in “seed”. But there are other wonderful connections that make me think they are deliberate. If we take a step in the alphabet (s-t), we will find “share” in “heart”. Isn’t that the purpose of feeling? We will also find “yearn” (t-y in the alphabet; physical pair h-n – a pair of letters that look alike). The letters are turned, our heart is aquiver, we catch sight of a rustle of feathers and follow it into the sky.