Hospitality
Hospitality! It is one of those gifts that adds spice and flavor to all of life. And we keep finding it in wonderful abundance. We are staying in Salem with my mother, who has graciously and generously opened her home to us. In the midst of the sometimes overwhelming uncertainty of our current life circumstances, the gift of a safe harbor is a balm for our souls.
Then yesterday we encountered hospitality of a different sort. As many of you know, walking labyrinths has been a part of our spiritual practice. We haven’t found many of them this summer (Grace Cathedral being the notable exception in my case), but the image of walking the sacred path has certainly helped to shape our understanding of the journey we’ve been on. With a few days of “down time” in Salem I thought I would try to locate a labyrinth to walk. Using the incredibly helpful Labyrinth Locator on the Grace Cathedral web site I quickly discovered that the only permanent publicly accessible labyrinth in the area isn’t actually public at all. A local woman has built a stunningly beautiful one in her backyard and she makes it available to the public by appointment. So I called to make arrangements. She warmly and graciously met us and welcomed us into her private sanctuary of peace, gave us a brief account of how she came to envision this wonderful project and then translate it into reality, and then she left us there to be alone. The gift of her hospitality was profoundly moving and helped to make the experience even more profound. Thank you Joan.
Having been on the receiving end of such healing gifts, I want to be more mindful and intentional about the ways in which I can contribute the gift to others. It need not be a large and extravagant act. A simple smile, a kind word, a welcoming attitude can be just as effective in transmitting the magic. What might the world be like if we all knew we were welcomed and had a place where we belonged? I invite you to join me in doing what we can to find out.
Blessings,
Roger