Waiting in my Labyrinth

My dear friend, Marianne, reminded me that I hadn't written in this blog for a long time (last post was July 18) and wondered why. Really good friends are the ones that ask the difficult/piercing questions, aren't they. Thank Heaven for 'em.

Have you ever started out on a trip that turned out to be totally different than the one you planned? That happened to me last Spring when Kel and I drove our truck and travel trailer out to Montana for our niece, Audra's, wedding (May 1). We thought there'd be lots of hiking and kayaking...but there wasn't: weather--lots of cold and rain and SNOW! What did happen was lots of (indoor) time with people, both family and friends. Our expectation was to be filled up, once again, with the natural beauty of the West. What happened was deeper connections with family and friends.

This "life" trip that I've been on for 6-plus decades has included heart events (I had bypass surgery in 2000) that I've finally realized aren't interruptions of my life but are part of my life--and, at that, a very important part of my life. Things have not always turned out as I had planned and, even though I can't see very far ahead of me, I'm learning to be at peace with the wisdom that's drawing me deeper.

I'm now waiting for a heart procedure to happen next week (Sept. 8) that may be an answer for me...or not. In this ten years of slowly learning that all I have is this moment and the people who are there with me (and I'm not there yet), I know the supreme importance of inner healing which renders physical healing a distant second. I have also discovered that in the worst of physical distress there can be peace but only through surrender.

We all walk the "life labyrinth" metaphorically every day. On Tuesday, September 7, I'll be walking the labyrinth on Nazareth Road in Kalamazoo (directions below) at 9am for a few hours. Please join me if you can...arrive in silence and leave in silence, respecting the pace of others. The labyrinth is always open so come anytime.

I invite you to share the unplanned learning experiences in your "life labyrinth."

DIRECTIONS: Coming from downtown Kazoo, take Gull Road east past Borgess Hospital. Turn left (north) at the light on Nazareth Road (stone fence on the left) and take the second break in the stone fence. There's a small parking lot about 200' in--if it's full, just park along the road inside the fence. The labyrinth starts at the two green flags.