By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY – Staff Writer
Recently Lisa Wilson, a homeowner in Crestline, made a remarkable discovery while tending to her garden. The rains and snows created some erosion in the yards on the mountain areas, after last winter’s storms, so many people have needed to spend significant time this spring to get their gardens back into shape.
Kelly Hanna of Jurassic Fossils examining the petrified wood pieces.
Lisa recently lost her brother, Justin, 28, in April, who worked on the mountain for the family business, PTL Exclusive Cleaning Service. She decided to take up serious gardening to help with her grief in a healthy way. While digging in her garden, Lisa uncovered two substantial rocks which she initially knew were unusual in appearance. She put them aside on a rock pile to investigate some more a little later.
Then family members gathered together at the vacation cabin in Crestline to console each other at this difficult time. Some came from Canada, some from Victorville and Las Vegas, and others from other areas of the western states. One family member, a daughter of Chief Jim of the Haida First Nation, did a First Nations chant and song to bring a spiritual calm to what became a quite large family gathering to mourn Justin and his unexpected death.
Lisa Wilson and her family at Jurassic Fossils in Lake Arrowhead Village.
One evening, Lisa showed them the unusual rocks and said she thought they were petrified wood. They debated late into the night over what it really was; half agreed with Lisa and thought it was petrified wood and the other half were not so sure. They Googled for support and shined flashlights on them for close examination. They remained divided.
Finally, at 3 a.m., they agreed they would take Lisa’s “rocky finds” to the Jurassic Fossils store in Lake Arrowhead.
The next morning, the entire family trooped into Lake Arrowhead Village. It was there that the knowledgeable paleontologist Kelly Hanna looked at the samples, brought out a special light and confirmed Lisa’s suspicions. These pieces were indeed petrified wood, and she was particularly impressed by Lisa’s discovery, emphasizing its uniqueness for this area.
Hanna said that making such a find in Crestline was quite exceptional and classified it as an amazing occurrence, as these soils are not known to make petrified wood as good these pieces were.
The petrified wood specimens have a unique beauty and intricacy to them. Lisa plans to put the petrified wood into a glass case, which will protect it and also serve as a memorial of Justin, as she always thinks of him when she looks at it.
The discovery gave the family a chance to marvel at the wonders of the natural world and they all shared in the excitement of making a truly exceptional find, all as a result of gathering together in honor of Justin. They hope it might inspire and encourage others to explore the world around them with curiosity and appreciation.
So beautiful!
How awesome. This article shows how much God can move in people’s lives as we grieve he is there.
Exceptional Find and beautiful way to honor family.
A Remarkable story!!! A great honor to Justin!
Lisa is my childhood friend since for over 30 years. She’s a phenomenal woman whos blessed wisdom guides her family I every way. As a Medical doctor she eases patients pain and suffering. As a mother and wife she is patient, creative, and a excellent role model. She touches the loves of everyone she encounter. Her family is blessed with God’s grace and guidance and are support her leadership. She is a true Inland Empire hero! Love you forever Lisa. – BFF* Nicky Spivey Bell
Beautiful in so many ways- this is a story of God’s mercy on the human race to enter into the ark and not suffer the flood. These pieces show us that there was a global flood as a consequence to unbridled devotion to self and not to our Creator. We are now witnessing the same self absorbed behavior in our post flood world. We all need to come into the ark of the love of Christ by claiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior- I have loved you with an everlasting love therefore I have drawn you unto myself. And the dead in Christ will rise and those who remain will be changed and together we will meet the Lord in the sky.
What an amazing story!!! combined with love and grief. “God’s amazing wonders “. I’m so happy for Lisa’s finding of two petrified woods in her garden and Kelly to display such a wonderful piece of work in her museum.
This is really awesome. I’ve known this family for 34 years and their losses have been great. It is nice to have something to celebrate in such difficult times.
What an amazing story!!! combined with love and grief. “God’s amazing wonders “. I’m so happy for Lisa’s finding of two petrified woods in her garden and Kelly to display such a wonderful piece of work in her museum.
Thank you so much for telling our family’s story, it is been a challenging few months, however, this story has brought our family closer together and helped us move forward.