I enjoyed traipsing down memory lane, reflecting on this labyrinth walk from 6/8/2022. I was in Texas to be an extra in the filming of an episode of The Chosen, and spending the time with two people I love so very much – Andrew and Mikayla Wilson. We had an afternoon free and they cheerfully indulged my labyrinth obsession, checking out several labyrinths in the surrounding area.
We arrived at First Congregational United Church of Christ in mid-afternoon, and Andrew and Mikayla opted to hang out in the car (and A/C) while I walked.
As I approached, I had a chance to meet Mike and Dan, two nice men who were members of the church. When I asked about the piles of pavers, they told me that several of the pavers that made up the path of pavers had been stolen—possibly by students from the nearby college. While they tried to look on it as a harmless prank, it was still a costly and time-consuming project to repair.
You are called to serve.
It’s been over a year since I walked this labyrinth, and even back then, my life was undergoing a level of tumult that I had never experienced. This first ‘revelation’ that ‘you are called to serve’ seemed an answer to a question that most of us have asked at one time or another.
As I have been traveling the country, staying with friends and family, helping where I can, making new friends, and stepping outside the comfort and familiarity that a stable home, job and relationship generally afford, I have often questioned my purpose for being- now more than ever.
Beneath the layers is strength and beauty
The gnarly oak tree at the center of the labyrinth spoke to me…. both of beauty and of strength.
Beauty and strength are not mutually exclusive, though people tend to see them that way. That ‘lesson within the lesson’ was revealed to me as I ran my hands over the gnarled trunk.
Even more than that, though, was the reminder that there are layers to every situation and every person.
Sometimes we have to look beneath the surface to recognize and address the layers- layers which may complicate matters, but also reveal truths.
Ask and it shall be given.
Mike and Dan explained that a young boy in their congregation gathered ‘wish stones’, imbedding them in the small spaces in the thick, rough bark, and that each stone represented a wish.
That seemed fitting for this revelation.
It also bears remembering.
I enjoyed my time here. Meeting Mike and Dan and learning a little about some of the people of the church made this an extra joyful stop. I would like to visit again, and possibly attend a worship service- all because of their friendliness (and the labyrinth of course).
Little things stand out in my mind, even now, more than a year later – the wind chimes around oak tree that called attention to it with every gentle breeze, the wish stones in the oak, the bench around the tree that offered a chance to sit down and reflect, while leaning into the strength and beauty of the tree.
Most of all, the hopefulness and expectation of a mighty oak with tiny wish stones pressed into it, and a little boy who believed.
