blessing the path

Last night a group of family and friends gathered to celebrate the 50th birthday of my friend, Nancy. A part of that celebration was the blessing of the labyrinth she designed and had built in her backyard, and I was honored to be asked to offer that blessing.

It is a thing "beautifully and wonderfully made," laid out according to the design of the labyrinth at Chartres, the most famous of labyrinths. Bricks placed carefully in the ground delineate the path clearly, while being flush with the lawn so as to allow easy mowing and maintenance. I love the symbol of the trinity at its center, as well as the stone benches that offer a place of rest to the journeyer. Solar lights indicate places of turning on the path so that the labyrinth may be used at night. In fact, by the time we had eaten and feted the birthday girl it was dark. Many of the guests walked the labyrinth after the blessing, a consecration of love and witness to the faith that guides and undergirds Nancy's life.

For me, it was also an opportunity to see again friends who bless my spirit with their friendship and their affection, and the hunger I experience for sisterhood found refreshment in their presence.

Thank you, Nancy, for the gift of being part of the celebration of your life, and for the honor of sharing that time with your wonderful family. Thank you, HSs (you know who you are), for loving on me. I love you right back.