Spirals

This week has been a week of firsts.  Yesterday was my first time seeing an ibis at church.  And today, for the first time, I returned to church in the afternoon after being so unsatisfied with my morning walk.

It has been a day of reflection.  It is officially my last day as a teacher even though I have been away from the classroom for two years.  My medical leave is over.  And it has been a day that has offered, in the form of an MRI on my brain, both new clues and perhaps new problems to contend with.  It has all left me thoughtful.

This morning I watched Heather walk the labyrinth.  Though I have run into strangers on my morning walks, today was the first day I saw a friend.  We both commented on the growing number of bows tied to the tree in the center, bows representing our troubles that we bring and leave in the labyrinth as we pray.  We both wondered if the tree could take that many bows.

Because I did not walk the labyrinth this morning and because I did not reach a peaceful state of prayer as I walked elsewhere, I wound up taking my troubles back home with me. 

After lunch, I decided I needed to come back.  And, as if in reminder of what I had not been able to accomplish this morning by simply watching someone else walk the labyrinth and not making the journey on my own, I found this shell by the water, with its semi-labyrinth spiraled nature.