NaBloWriMo Day 10 - Random Status Post Thursday... **PLUS**

While it hasn't been too cold yet, everyone seems to be anticipating the winter weather in the true form of denial. This exclamatory cartoon by Charles Schulz was shared on my news feed this morning and sums up the feelings of many. Is it because I am getting older that the idea of cold, snow, and ice don't have the same appeal as it did when I was younger? I have said it before, and I'll say it again...I live in the wrong state. With my distaste for winter, it just doesn't make sense to live in a climate that has winter five months out of the year! Mayhaps I will be a snowbird when the hubby retires and we will fly south every winter :)

 And now for the **PLUS**... 

Darling daughter and I decided we needed a little de-stressing today. After she finished her lessons for the day, we took off down the road for our favorite outdoor labyrinth. The temperature was a perfect 73 degrees, the sky was a light cloudless blue, and there was a gentle breeze blowing. The Asian beetles were a little thick, but we persevered and accomplished what we set out to do.

 The labyrinth is a spiritual meditation experience. We use the entrance as a place to stop and reflect on our intentions and then enter with an open mind and a quiet heart. There is no right or wrong way to walk the labyrinth. While walking the 40 foot circular sacred pattern to the center today, my focus was on letting go...letting go of anger, letting go of false notions, and letting go of inadequacies. At the center, I stop and pray a prayer of thanksgiving and to request the strength I need to live each day renewed and joyful. My walk back out is the preparation for returning to my daily tasks refreshed and with a thankful heart.

 I recalled my walk back out last time we did the labyrinth...my son and daughter were with me (each with their own personal experiences). As we neared the end of the walk, we began hearing thunder off in the distance after what had been a sunny walk in. A cleansing rain concluded that walk.

 As there was no rain in the forecast today, I wondered briefly what we would take away from this second labyrinth experience, but immediately dismissed it as I was not looking for any signs when I set out on the path today.

 Darling daughter and I embraced as we exited the labyrinth and walked back to the car stopping briefly to take a couple pictures. Less than a quarter mile down the road after leaving the parking lot a white bird swooped gently down and flew in front of the car. At first, I thought it was a pigeon, and then I realized as it circled the car and flew in front of us again that it was a dove. So that I wasn't imagining the experience, I voiced out loud to my daughter, "Is that a dove?" With my daughter's confirmation of the sighting, the dove took one last dip in front of us and was gone.

 Sitting in stunned silence, we broke out in giddy smiles knowing we had just received a very special blessing.

 "Seeing a white dove is considered a sign of peace, harmony, and tranquility. It may also refer to experiencing the Holy Spirit, especially interpreted in a spiritual perspective."