The sandbox. It is a place of community — where children of all ages, shapes and sizes can gather and play without boundaries. It is also a solitary place, where one can think and wonder about the greater things of life.

Ever since I was a little girl, playing in the sandbox was one of my favorite things to do. As one who didn’t like to get my hands dirty when I was young, I surprised myself by liking to dig in the sand, pour water on some of the sand to make it stick in shapes. I loved playing in the sand and attempting to build little castles in our sandbox with these skinny orange plastic glasses that we had.

I love how sandboxes can bring together people of all ages. Kids can play with the sand and parents can reminisce and even play a little themselves. I also love how in a sandbox, there are so many grains of sand and it gives me a glimpse of just how many people there are in this world if you consider each grain as a person.

This summer, or even as the weather gets warmer, find a nearby sandbox, pick up a few grains of sand, and consider each grain of sand as a prayer to say for someone or as a collection of prayers you’ve said over the years. Perhaps if you watch a child play in the sandbox you can pray for each experience in their lives — a collection of the grains of sand.