Thursday's Labyrinth - In the Middle of Life

And a two month looking back on The Bench (it gets capital letters now)

This labyrinth at Smale Park in Cincinnati is a really unusual one.  It isn’t unusual in what kind of labyrinth it is but it is unusual in that it is even where it is.  It was built to be a part of this lovely riverfront area in downtown Cincinnati.  So it is along side a memorial to a black regiment in the Civil War and another to African-American musicians.  It is a few hundred feet away from a super-awesome kids’ play area and swings that face the Ohio River.  As you can see from this panorama, it is in between the Bengals’ stadium and the Reds’ stadium.  The skyscrapers of downtown hover above it and two of the bridges to Kentucky are right there as well.  As you walk this labyrinth you’re surrounded by the hum of car tires on the metal deck of the Roebbling Bridge and cars on the road beside the park.  The sound and vibrations of life surround it.  It’s all in there...right here.

It is also a beautifully created labyrinth with wide granite paths intercut with grass and is such a unique place to walk and pray.

It may not have the same sense of stillness and quietness as other labyrinths in the area but that’s ok.  Here’s another unique thing about it.  There is power in every labyrinth but this one has literal power in the heart of the labyrinth!!!

This morning it was a refreshingly cool morning and like the last few days, there’s a lot swirling within.  But I loved the vibrancy and life of this space today.  It was a reminder of how life is to be lived and that our witness and our love is not to be separated out from the rest of life but shared right in the midst of it all.  There are necessary times and places to withdraw (after all, we read plenty of times where Jesus went off by himself) but those have to be in relationship with the times of going out.  I think of it like breathing - times we draw in to be filled and then times we exhale out and mingle with the fullness of life around us.  Today was one such day. I didn’t listen to music or have my earbuds in but took in the sounds, the feel, and the vibrations of what was around.

Part of the process of grief and loss is having times of withdrawal but there also need to be times to engage and to be connected to others.  And not simply with grief, but simply with growth and life - yes times alone are wonderful (believe me...Enneagram 5 - I love my time away from others) but I also know that I cannot stay in my hobbit hole for ever!  (Thank you Amy for that challenge/encouragement many years ago).

Today wasn’t as much a walk of loss or grief but instead of life and gratitude.  And surrounding the labyrinth were signs of that new life including this hearty little flower just starting to poke out for the Spring...

Here is the labyrinth walk for Smale Park from 2022

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Finally, it is the last day of February so time to look back on two months of the bench.  Not sure I will end up using every photo because this video montage will be pretty long by the end of the year, but for now...only two minutes...One note - I’ve tried to be there right about 7:45 each day but life intervenes and a few were more like 7:30 and a few more like 8:00.

GPLJ,
Ed