Alas today I finally went to the labyrinth, mostly because my kiddos have been begging me to go there. Their childcare provider has taken them. Like many parents I find the hour or 2 before dinner to be hard when I am at home with the kiddos. So around 4 o'clock on this sunny May afternoon we headed to the Labyrinth.
Next the the church the labyrinth sits amid a clearing in the forest. At one end are the names of deceased members of the church community on stones and the labyrinth is clearly the highlight. I have prayed a labyrinth before so with the kids running around I just started.
I lasted about 4 minutes. I would like to blame the kiddos I really would. After all, my 1 year old really wanted to hang out up by the road and my older kids were running amok. But the truth is my problem is with the width of the path. The path is so narrow it's like walking on a beam. Literally you must place one foot in front of one another. I twist my ankles easily so it was no good for me.
I really wanted to like it. I really did. I wasn't expecting peaceful quiet prayer- I brought my 3 kids after all. But I was hoping to take in a reflective moment, let my kiddos run around, and be intentional about a moment. I did that. The problem is that I did that on the bench next to the labyrinth. It's just too narrow for me (and for most people to be honest).
So alas it isn't for me. But my prayer life isn't really about movement. I tend to be more about awareness of the sacred around me and also embracing of silence and stillness. It is located in a lovely area but the noise from the highway makes it not the quietest place on the Island. To be honest I think that might be one of the selling points- it's away from the chaos but the chaos is close enough to invite reflection.
All in all it is a lovely lovely little prayer space. I could imagine myself bringing a journal and sitting there for a bit. I just can't imagine praying the labyrinth there.
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