April 2010

making time for peace, creativity and the labyrinth

"I've heard it said that every day you need half an hour of quiet time for yourself, or your Self, unless you're incredibly busy and stressed, in which case you need an hour.

I promise you, it is there. Fight tooth and nail to find time, to make it. It is our true wealth, this moment, this hour, this day." -Anne Lamott

A recurring theme kept popping up in my reading this month: making time for quiet, and the things that are most important to us. I would recommend the April Sunset's article entitled "Time Lost and Found" to anyone who feels too busy to make time for the things that call to them. In the article, Anne Lamott says "there is nothing you can buy, achieve, own, or rent that can fill up that hunger inside for a sense of fulfillment and wonder." But the good news is that we can find what we have been searching for: "enlivenment, peace and meaning...[But] you have to make time to do this." Anne Lamott offers great suggestions for whittling away time wasters and distractions that take us away from our dreams, quiet time, hopes and creative callings.

I have to continually remind myself of the benefits of Spirit time, in spite of the peace and rewards it affords me. Recently I visited Montpelier, VT for my husband's graduation from Vermont College. The day after my arrival, we spent the morning sight-seeing, including a visit to this lovely painted floor labyrinth at the local Unitarian church. During the afternoon, my husband had some final details to wrap up, and I felt so jet-lagged from my cross-country trip, that I thought I'd walk downtown for another cup of coffee before crashing in the B&B for a couple of hours. However, another visit to the labyrinth beckoned, and ignoring my travel fatigue, I followed the Spirit's call and walked the labyrinth.

The insights, comfort and peace I received on the blue painted labyrinth that afternoon were so uplifting and energizing. It would literally take another entire newsletter to describe them. Suffice it to say that my travel fatigue completely disappeared, and I was able to more fully enjoy the present moment of my husband's graduation, and two evening parties afterwards, with joy and celebration.

While perusing the local bookstore last week, I also picked up a book called Dream It. List It. Do It.: How to Live a Bigger & Bolder Life, from the Life List experts at 43Things.com. I was surprised to find the first chapter had a description of the medieval labyrinth under the "Understand Myself" theme, and encouraged labyrinth walking as a tool for self-reflection and finding inner peace. The book offers sample checklists, tips on prioritizing, and insights for helping you take one step at a time toward the eventual goal. 

Whatever your goal may be -- and I am guessing since you are a subscriber to this email newsletter that you value quiet time, Spirit time, labyrinth time, meditation time, time to build a labyrinth -- I encourage you to take time for YOU this month, and enjoy the rewards that prayer, meditation, creativity and serenity can bring to your life right now, in your most precious present. -MS

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thank you Home Show and Facebook friends

Heartfelt thanks to all of The Laughing Flower's new friends from the Whatcom County Home Show and Facebook Fan Page. Welcome and blessings to you. The Laughing Flower LLC is here to assist you with...

• landscaping design and maintenance
• labyrinth design, installation and maintenance
• rentals of portable canvas labyrinths for events, retreats, trainings and meetings
• creation of temporary labyrinths - using a variety of materials
• educational presentations and "how to's" about labyrinth history and labyrinth walking
• free, no obligation quotes for services, and lots of ideas for saving money and reusing/recycling materials you may already have on hand.

Call 360.927.8803 or email myra@laughingflowerlabyrinth.com. 

The Laughing Flower LLC is a proud member of Sustainable Connections. Photo by Linda Conroy, Church of the Assumption Lenten Labyrinth Walk.

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"Your vision will become only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." -Carl Jung

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items sought for labyrinth creations

We are always on the lookout for materials to build labyrinths. Often my clients are nonprofits, churches, or just regular folks with creative inspiration but not a huge bank account.

If you have any of the following items that you would be willing to donate, please email or call me, and I will coordinate pickup of any unwanted materials that may be cluttering up your sheds/garages/backyards, and in most cases I can also coordinate a letter to write the donation off on your taxes.

This small labyrinth near Cornwall Park in Bellingham was built entirely out of donated bricks from an unwanted pile in a neighbor's yard.

Here's a list of some current needs and common materials:

• nuts, bolts, any small hardware
• red bricks
• ceramic tile (any size or color)
• broken pottery or china
• flagstones, pavers
• rocks
• fence posts
• silk flowers, esp. silk roses
• ? - call me if it's not listed, I may have a client to suggest it to!

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