INSIGHT Magazine September 2017 | Page 26

slideshow d r o f Ox s k c Ro P ainted rocks are popping up all over the place. Scooby Doo, strawberries, rainbows, peace signs, you may have noticed these little works of art scattered at parks and businesses around town and wondered where they came from and why they’re here. Oxford Rocks is a branch of an international movement them stems from The Kindness Rocks Project (TKRP). TKRP began with one woman dealing with depression after the death of her parents. Megan Murphy of Cape Cod, Mass. looked for signs from her mom and dad while walking along the beach. She believed 26 By Kelsey Butler heart-shaped rocks were from her dad, and sea glass came from her mom. She recalls seeing others walking along the shore as if they were also searching for a message. One day, Murphy picked up a rock and wrote an inspirational message on it hoping that it may help someone. She ended up leaving messages on five rocks that day. Cindy Hudson has enjoyed painting rocks for years, and she decided to start the Oxford Rocks Facebook page five or six months ago to bring TKRP to Calhoun County. She says, “It exploded!.” Oxford Rocks now has more than 3,300 members and hundreds, maybe thousands, of pictures of painted rocks. September 2017 INSIGHT