labyrinth revisted,

Back at Launde abbey :-)
Arrived on Monday for an annual retreat with some friends I trained with :-)
but with a stinking cold and felt rather groggy since :-(

However, starting to feel human again now and so decided a walk in the sunshine was called for and headed into the huge gardens they have here.

Wandering around I found myself at the labyrinth that I blogged about 2 years ago - http://isthissomeexciting.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/testimony-i-am-sharing-at-church-this.html

This is the first time I've been back to the labyrinth as I avoided it on my last 2 visits - but today it felt right to enter - and see what God had for me... so I paused at the entrance and prayed that God would speak to me whilst there and headed into the labyrinth...

I remember from last time almost being desperate to get to the middle, whilst not really wanting too and finding many things to distract me... where as this time ... Whilst I was still eager to get to the middle, I took time to slow down and enjoy the quiet (well apart from the squaking bird), ponder and reflect. Although I looked around me, I was constantly drawn to the look at the centre of the labyrith ....

I felt God saying to me ... look around and enjoy everything around you ... but don't forget to come back to the centre and to me the one who created it all. 

This echoes something that I've been pondering the last few weeks - much of the conversations I've had with spiritual directors and others over the years has been about taking time out each day to pray and how I was brought up with the idea that you needed to set a particular time to do this.  To be honest it's something I've struggled always struggled with - feeling more at ease "praying on the go" and at anytime throughout the day ....

More recently though I've realised that it's not that daily commitment that I yearn for - but the opportunity for regular space to ponder reflect and encounter the God who is at the the centre of everything (not just in the stone table at the middle of the labyrinth!!!) ....

Coming to Launde helps me do that each year - but my task now is to find other places in my daily (weekly / monthly) life to do the same... but that can wait a few days...

Until tomorrow - I enjoy the peace, the holiness and the fantastic views that is Launde abbey and of course spending time with God.