surf doggie dog

Love

Yesterday, I was blessed to be reminded of selected verses from Kahlil Gibran's masterpiece, The Prophet. Just wanted to share them with you here once again...

When love beckons to you, follow him,


Though his ways are hard and steep.


And when his wings enfold you yield to him,


Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.


And when he speaks to you believe in him,


Though his voice may shatter your dreams


as the north wind lays waste the garden.






For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.


Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,


So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.






Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.


He threshes you to make you naked.


He sifts you to free you from your husks.


He grinds you to whiteness.


He kneads you until you are pliant;


And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.






All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.






But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,


Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,


Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.


Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.


Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;


For love is sufficient unto love.






When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."


And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.






Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.


But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:


To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.


To know the pain of too much tenderness.


To be wounded by your own understanding of love;


And to bleed willingly and joyfully.


To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;


To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;


To return home at eventide with gratitude;


And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

- Kahlil Gibran

Advent Solitude Day

Special thanks to First Presbyterian Church of North Palm Beach (especially Dr. Ron Hilliard and Catherine Hilliard) for inviting Labyrinth Wellness, LLC to bring the labyrinth for Advent Solitude Day 2010. It was a truly wonderful morning...

Participants had several hours of unstructured time to simply rest silently, journal, pray, read, reflect or walk the labyrinth. Plenty of wonderful reading material was available, but really, the idea was just for attendees to use the time as they felt God was leading them to do. There was absolutely no set agenda (what a blessing)!

It was a beautifully sunny, crisp morning so the courtyard and the prayer garden were particularly nice spots to just sit and to "Be Still." Delicious refreshments were set up in the coffee house whenever folks needed a bit of nourishment. Reverend Hilliard was available for one-on-one prayer time on an outside bench for anyone that desired some quiet conversation. A small, quiet room was set up where prayer candles could be lighted, communion could be taken, and individuals could remember their baptism by water.The choir was rehearsing for their Christmas Concert in the sanctuary, so participants could slip into a pew and enjoy some beautiful music as well.

In the gymnasium of the Youth Building, we had several returning labyrinth walkers and many individuals who had never walked the labyrinth before. It was such a blessing for me to get to share a bit about this spiritual tool with those who had questions before they began their walk. I also brought lots of different finger labyrinths that walkers could sit on the comfortable couches and trace before or after their walk.

Afterwards, we had a brief time for sharing. Many wonderful insights and impressions were spoken about the day within the quiet, supporting circle of participants. Again, it was such a lift to my heart to learn that the experience of walking the labyrinth had touched so many lives throughout the morning.

May each of you find your own personal ways to rest in the Silence and the Solitude of the Season...

Peace for your Advent Path,

Robin

a quiet time to reflect

Smilebox

I created my first-ever electronic Christmas card this week using Smilebox. I called it "Holly Jolly Eco-Friendly Wishes" and folks have really, really loved it!

You can do this totally for free, or do what I did, and choose a low-cost option that lets your recipients view your card full-screen with no ads. I used some cool music already available with the Smilebox template I chose, and then I added my own family photos and my own text. Really cool and more personal than a regular e-card. If you try it, let me know! :)

brrrr....

Irony for your Path

our little twenty-year-old tree with it's new set of environmentally-loving LED lights

Peace to the Earth!

reach for the stars

just tall enough

Welcome Facebook friends of Labyrinth Wellness and OceanPrayer!

Hi Facebook Friends,

Thanks so much for finding me here on my blog!

Thanks also for your overwhelming support of Labyrinth Wellness and OceanPrayer on Facebook. I am currently updating several of my websites. Exciting times, and I am very thankful.

Please follow Labyrinth Wellness (labyrinthwell) and OceanPrayer (OceanPrayer) on Twitter (see easy links to do that right here in my blog's sidebar). You'll also find me on Twitter as "wisdomlabyrinth." When the new Facebook pages are available, I will be sure to let you know.

Again, I am so grateful for your amazing support!

Peace for your Path,
Robin

Second Sunday of Advent

Blessings to you...

Happy Advent!

I was so honored to contribute to this lovely 2010 Advent Devotional published by The First Presbyterian Church of North Palm Beach.

Download and share your own free copy of "A True Sense of God" today!

http://firstpresnpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2010-Advent-Devotional-BOOKLET.pdf

fresh-as-a-daisy Lil

But not-nearly-as-cheerful-Lil after her humiliating driveway bath.

Ah well...Beauty can be painful as any girl knows. Peace for your Path, Lily!

stil-kissable Lil

naughty Lil

A morning trip to the dog park goes awry...

I plan on leaving this sign up all year

a writer's desk

My niece, Sophia, left me some beautiful new artwork. Thanks, pumpkin!

thankful (still)

It was a busy, but glorious, Thanksgiving, so I never had a chance to post.

We had my brother and his family join us for a fabulous dinner with friends and a couple of days of fun and then Scott's birthday on Saturday here with another house full of dear friends. To kick off the festivities, both "my boys" won pies in the Tenth Annual Run 4 the Pies in Tequesta on Thanksgiving morning. I was so proud of them! They had to finish within the first wave of runners to get a pie, so it is a pretty darn big deal (and a REALLY yummy apple pie).

I hope your holiday was filled with Love and Pie as well...

a calendar quote on my dentist's wall this morning

"Be with those who help your being."
- Rumi

a different kind of Golden Ticket

I spent two hours of my life today waiting in line to renew our car tags. When they finally called my number, I felt like I'd won the lottery. Yet despite not planning to spend my entire afternoon at the courthouse, it was really an interesting and enlightening day....

I was fascinated by all the beautiful faces around me: people of all ages, races, and walks of life waiting together.

There was absolutely no way to hurry the process.

You could watch the "newcomers" as they paced and resisted the process at first. They were checking their cell phones, surfing the net, complaining, and watching the monitors constantly for their numbers to appear. Those of us who had been there an hour or more exchanged knowing glances as we watched them. Our cell phone batteries had long since died. Our purses were already re-organized. Our checkbooks were quite well-balanced. All we had on our hands was time, time, time....

I watched one lady sleep quiet peacefully while sitting straight upright and was totally impressed. I calculated the height of the woman's heels across the aisle - nearly three full inches. I marveled at the young teenage couple finally get their toddler son to fall asleep. I read every sign around me and enjoyed some quite wonderful artwork by Goodwill Industry employees and local young artists.

Every once in a while, someone's number would be called and rather than irritation and jealousy, we all felt genuinely happy for that person (mostly). Every once in a while, someone would ring the Golden Bell by the exit to signify they had received excellent service. Every once in a while, a seat would become available near the monitors and rather than rushing to fill it, we would look around and wait for an elderly person to have a chance to sit down first.

Every once in a while, I was truly thankful to be there in that flourescent-tiled room with that odd band of brothers and sisters - strangers - but who I knew as neighbors for just a bit.

It was two hours I would gladly spend again in just the same way....

THE place to be in Palm Beach County today

"now serving....A223....pleases proceed to Station 7."

Learning patience on the Path today. Meeting some other nice (and procrastinating) neighbors. It's all good! :)

Sort of feels like surviving a hurricane....only in air conditioning with WiFi.

for whom will the bell toll?

Even I gave it a little jingle on my way out. Thank you Clerk at Station 11. You were very kind. Peace for your Path, Robin

cranberries cooking

Can you hear them pop?

welcome to one of my favorite places: Grassy Waters

Please support this amazing non-profit nature preserve. It is a treasure....Learn more on their website today

http://www.grassywaterspreserve.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.main&x=3988444

If you visit, you truly will feel the peace on every path....

thank you for this place

nature center

follow this Path

oasis

natural Florida

lovely lily pads

wonderful water and glorious grass

sleepy Sunday

sunny cypress

love this quote

a basket of centering prayers

live oaks bless the Path with their acorn gifts

quiet time

natural beauty

thank you, Good Shepherd friends, for this labyrinth

Come walk with us right now....

gratitude for this sacred space

Third Thursdays on the Labyrinth is TOMORROW!

Come walk with us anytime between 11am and 1pm at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Tequesta, FL!

If you are not able to join us locally, find a labyrinth to walk in your own town on The World-Wide Labyrinth Locator.

Peace for your Path,
Robin

The Merton Prayer

In Thoughts in Solitude, Part Two, Chapter II consists of fifteen lines that have become known as "the Merton Prayer."

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

- Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"
© Abbey of Gethsemani

Visit The Merton Institute for Contemplative Living's website to see this beloved prayer translated into many languages. Please support their valuable work in the world....

iTunes tips for podcast fans

If you are new to podcasts, this is a great resource from iTunes where you can learn more.

Hey, here is a great idea....why don't you subscribe to the WISDOM OF THE LABYRINTH on iTunes?!?

It's totally free and you will helping a really great show stay on the air! :) Thanks!

My Miami Man

So proud of my triathlete....

Go, Baby!

Congratulations Scott!

Some really BAD FROGS

Meet just a few of the wonderful BAD FROGS of The First Presbyterian Church of North Palm Beach. These athletes compete with the motto "BEYOND ALL ELSE, FULLY RELY ON GOD!" Each of these great folks had an awesome day yesterday at The Miami Man Triathlon. So proud of all of them...

Learn more online and become a BAD FROG today!

Enjoy the BAD FROG BLOG, too, and join the TEAM BAD FROGS group on Facebook.

Third Thursdays on the Labyrinth is this week, November 18th, from 11am to 1pm

Join us! Check my website for more info or visit The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd online! Everyone in the community is invited. Always a free event but donations are welcome to support the labyrinth ministry at the church. Thanks!

Please support THE WISDOM OF THE LABYRINTH on iTunes!

If you have an iTunes account, please do this (takes like one to two minutes):

1. Click on our iTunes preview page link: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-wisdom-of-the-labyrinth/id318360647

2. Choose the blue highlighted "View in iTunes" button

3. Scroll over to the 5th gray star beside "Rate this Podcast" toward the bottom of the page (under all the show episodes) at the CUSTOMER RATINGS section.

4. When you click the gray 5th star it will then turn blue and say "It's Great!" and then "Thanks!"

4. An iTunes window will pop up and it will ask you for your password to sign in so that it will accept the star rating you just selected

5. That's it!!!!! Bless you for your help!


Now...if you have two more minutes please also write a super quick CUSTOMER REVIEW for me. See a couple of examples listed by "turtleseagirl" and "mertonite" to see what I need. After you write a review, be sure and click "Submit" so it registers.

Last month, our archives were accessed over 23,000 times. WOW! Help us keep this valuable show on the air. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!! Your support of THE WISDOM OF THE LABYRINTH show is so appreciated!
Peace for your Path,

Robin

Labyrinths and Horses: A Special Preview of The Labyrinth Society’s 2010 Gathering

Labyrinths and Horses: A Special Preview of The Labyrinth Society’s 2010 Gathering

Listen to this special episode to hear all the exciting details regarding this weekend's special 2010 Annual Gathering of The Labyrinth Society in New Harmony, Indiana.

GreenFaith

We took our son with us to the voting poll yesterday as school was out for the day. He stood at my husband's elbow as he filled out his ballot. He got his own "I Voted" sticker. Before that, he saw me on the computer for two straight days researching candidates' voting records on key issues. He watched his dad and me reading all the amendments carefully that were up for vote. He prayed with us as a family before we went to the polls. He went with us to the beach afterwards and prayed with us again later that night as the early returns were coming in on TV. We talked about personal ways we can make a difference in the world regardless of the outcomes of these elections.

Peace for your Path, today....

where there is doubt....

The Prayer of St. Francis



Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;



O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.



For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

election night prayers for our planet earth

Holding onto Faith that our country's votes will show we care...

a blessing and a duty

I did!

did you?

Project Vote Smart

This video and this project truly make me proud to be an American today. The embedding feature was disabled so simply double-click the "Watch On You Tube" underlined link to view.

Peace for your voting path tomorrow everyone. We are all so truly blessed to have the right to vote...

May we all pray, do our OWN research, pray some more and then vote with our hearts. We have each been given an important gift and a responsibility. May we use it wisely and act accordingly with Love.

Then, remember to pray daily for all our elected leaders no matter what the outcome. There are no "winners" and no "losers". We are all ONE.

Love,
Robin

Project Vote Smart - About Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart - About Project Vote Smart

If you are still praying through some of your voting decisions today like I am, and if you have turned off your TV, stopped reading the newspaper, stopped reading the negative campaign mailers, stopped answering the phone, and stopped listening to everyone else trying to tell you what to do and if you simply want to quietly research the candidates in your area of the country in a fair way, I highly recommend this site.

I loved "VoteEasy" as I could take a survey in twelve different categories and then see which candidates lined up with the majority of my views (which do not fit into a tidy little box with any single "party platform" but which reside purely within my heart). This is a non-partisian, non-profit website manned chiefly by volunteers which operates on non-political, private donations.

Very, very, very cool....I think our Founding Fathers would approve!

blessings to you and your loved ones on All Saints Day

Remembering with prayers and love today all the Saints who have gone before us....Peace for your Path.

how to go from gourd to gorgeous....

design