This is our most unique “campsite” yet – parked directly alongside
a labyrinth on the peaceful property of Unity of Mills River in the Blue Ridge Mountains
near Asheville, North Carolina. I love
labyrinths – a meditative tool used for introspection and transformation. Walking slowly toward the center is a time of
letting go. The center is a place to
experience the presence of Spirit and receive insights about life
situations. Returning from the center is
a time of renewal and integration.
highway. What a treat to walk the
labyrinth after dinner. I was almost to
the center when I spotted a small token on the path before me. It was heart-shaped, and someone had written the
word “Love” on it. I picked up the heart
and held it as I contemplated all the ways love continues to show up in my
life. For a brief instant I entertained
the thought of keeping the heart as a reminder of the moment, but I knew the
heart was meant for others to find. I
also knew that I was meant to “carry the love forward,” so I carried it the
rest of the way to the epicenter of the labyrinth.
As I knelt to leave the heart-token on the small white
stones, I experienced a flashback that left me flooded with emotion. I had knelt just like that, with my fingers touching
the ground, eight years earlier at another location in North Carolina. It was 400 miles to the east, at Marine Corps
Air Station Cherry Point. I was kneeling
at the exact place on the flight line where our Susan was struck and killed by
lightning. By touching that sacred spot,
I somehow felt closer to her.
At that time, I didn’t know if the spirit survives death. All I could do was hope and have faith. Today I am known as a “messenger of hope,” speaking
and writing about the evidence that Susan and so many others on the other side have
shared to let us know that love is eternal and that love is the true center of
each of us. It has truly been a
transformational journey.
I’m here in North Carolina tonight because of you.
