thank you signature healthcare, llc

It was truly an honor to attend the Signature Healthcare Learning Congress 2009 from March 2-4th in Louisville, KY. I was deeply humbled by the number of Signature Stakeholders who embraced the spiritual practice of walking labyrinths this week, most of them for the very first time....

We had a beautiful, full-sized Eleven-Circuit Medieval labyrinth available for a candlelight walk Monday evening at the Seelbach Hotel's majestic Medallion Ballroom. The Chartres Cathedral-style design was warm and welcoming to the participants who had traveled all day in frigid temperatures (many with flight cancellations and weather delays) to attend the first day of meetings. Gentle meditative music filled the room, creating an oasis of peace at the end of a busy, yet exciting afternoon. So many walkers came, that we kept the labyrinth available for an entire extra hour to accommodate their interest....

The following two days, many other Stakeholders enjoyed utilizing finger labyrinths in the historic Rathskeller. Gentle lighting and Gregorian music enhanced the setting of this uniquely designed room filled with decorated pillars. Constructed of rare Rookwood Pottery in 1907, the Rathskeller, with its medieval cathedral appearance provided the perfect location for learning more about labyrinths, formulating breath prayers and enjoying personal time with one's journal in between meeting sessions.

None of this could have been possible without the loving support of my husband, Scott Hansel, who has been with Signature Healthcare now for over five exciting years. Our dear friend, E. Joseph Steier, III, Signature's President and CEO, was kind enough to invite Labyrinth Wellness, LLC to attend this year. Joe wanted to share one of his favorite spiritual tools with his Stakeholders at this ground-breaking, innovative meeting.

When our connecting flight was canceled out of Charlotte, NC due to a snowstorm, Virginia Watkins and Mark Johnson, treasured friends from St. Paul United Methodist Church in Louisville came to the rescue. They quickly loaded Kathleen Kaelin's labyrinth into a van kindly and expertly driven by Signature's own Stephanie Hope. These wonderful individuals were met by Joe's ever-organized executive assistant, Tiffany Blackwell, at the Seelbach Hotel while Scott and I raced in from Nashville, TN in a rental car with several other re-routed Signature Stakeholders. We arrived just in time to immediately begin setting up the sacred space for the evening.

It was quite a remarkable journey, and dear friends along the way made all the difference. Gathering in the center of the labyrinth, holding hands in prayer together before the first walkers arrived, was a moment I will never forget.

Thanks also to Rex and Maggie Bradley for making the long journey South to care for Dylan (and Lily!) and to Jerry and Jewel Hansel for your continued prayers throughout the week.

You are all Lights on the Path for me....