It rained all day Wednesday and I didn't really want to walk/pray in the cold rain, so I waited until this morning on my way in to work to stop by the labyrinth at Burks UMC for my weekly lenten practice.
Upon arrival and walking to the entrance, I notice the back end of a bunny rabbit scurrying into the nearby woods. Drats. I had missed an opportunity to gaze upon a rabbit this morning. I didn't mean to scare the little creature away.
Birds were chirping, singing, and I would even say chattering this morning. They were a lively bunch.
It was cool outside, about 52 degrees Fahrenheit, but I didn't need a jacket. It felt good to feel the air on my arms as I walked around in my short-sleeved shirt.
A tiny bit of fog remained in the distance.
The clouds were puffy white and moving in the sky, not too fast, yet not too slow either.
Among the greenery on the labyrinth path, I spotted a heart-shaped leaf.
The time went by quickly this morning. As I rounded the last bend to enter the straight path toward the center, I found myself questioning how quickly the time had gone. I thought back through the journey to see if I had somehow jumped the path along the way, stepping out of the path somewhere, somehow. I don't think I did. It just seemed too quick for some reason. Maybe it was due to holding space of encouragement for several people today. Or, that I was sipping coffee from my "tree church" mug along the way. I don't know. But, it was a peaceful prayer walk.
I sat on one of the concrete benches for a while. It was cold and wet/damp. I watched the clouds for a moment. I noticed some birds seeking food in the grass nearby. I sipped on my coffee.
I rose and headed out, giving thanks for the time.
Before I knew it, I was at the threshold/entrance.
I wanted to check out what looked to be yucca in the distance on a path to the side of the greenhouse, into the woods. It turned out to not be yucca, but a clump of flowers without blooms. There was one white flower blooming on the other side of the path. And, there were iris leaves popping up in several places where one wouldn't expect them to be. I suppose beauty can be anywhere. Maybe it's the unexpected places that become more meaningful.
How that might apply in some sort of life lesson, I don't know. Allow it to sink in if it has something for you. If not, allow it to simply be what it is.
As I was leaving, the carillon bells began to chime the hour. Oops. I would not be arriving to work "on time" today. But that's okay. After the bells chimed, a song played. I rolled down the windows in the car so I could listen as I drove out of the parking lot.
Ah. Though the time in the labyrinth might not have been long nor the overall time spent on location long, there was something peaceful, that refreshed my spirit and soul, that nourished me.
I am grateful for this lenten spiritual practice.
Rev. Deb
P.S.
I don't know who might understand this one, but the labyrinth is a pokéstop in Pokémon GO. I don't think I knew that before today. It is called "prayer garden" here.
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