Just a short newsletter from hot and extremely humid NY (why is it every time
I write to you from afar it is from a humid place?) where the heat index is
103 today. But it is fun to be in NY. People are friendly and helpful and
this place is bustling with activity and life and people going about their
business. Yesterday I got to walk through Central Park and watch people
playing with their dogs on the Great Lawn; rollerblading and riding bicycles,
riding in horse-drawn carriages, marveling at the animals at the zoo. Walking
to my hotel earlier today, people were clustered outside the Ed Sullivan
Theater, waiting in the moist heat to get to see David Letterman tonight.

Right now, people are getting off work, and from my room in midtown
Manhattan, I can see them exiting office buildings, stopping to talk and
laugh with each other, meeting each other on street corners, talking on cell
phones, walking home or to catch their trains or buses home. It makes me
think a little of the resilience of the human spirit. Life goes on here; life
thrives here and it is good to see.

Next month, you'll have a chance to renew and revitalize your spirit at the
labyrinth walk at New Life Presbyterian Church and at First United Methodist.
May those walks be blessings for you, like a gentle rain and a soft breeze on
a hot day.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Walks at New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE :
Friday August 9 at 7:00 - Orientation for newcomers
7:30 pm -- Taize service with community labyrinth walk

Saturday August 10 12 noon - 9 pm
Open walk at New Life

***Volunteers needed at 6:45 p.m. to set up labyrinth on Friday night. Also,
volunteers are needed to staff the labyrinth on Saturday, August 10 and to
put away the labyrinth at 8:45 p.m. Saturday night.
Please contact Ed Katzenberger after August 1 if you can help set up or staff
the labyrinth at katzenberger@unidial.com
Please contact Fred Aiken at FAAiken@aol.com if you can help take the
labyrinth down Saturday night.

First United Methodist Church: Wednesday, August 28 from 5-8 pm.
Church is located at 4th and Lead.
****Volunteers needed at 4 pm to help set up the labyrinth and at 8 p.m. to
take it down.
Please contact Donna at DakiniWind@aol.com if you can lend a hand.

Also, in June, someone left a navy blue jacket at one of the labyrinth walks.
If it's yours, please contact Linda at lrcyoung@hotmail.com.

BOTP,
Lesley

Greetings Friends:

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to look at my life and how it
has changed over the years. Part of the impetus was the end of the television
show "Ally McBeal" (hey, you can't be spiritual ALL the time ;-)), of which I
was an avid fan, part of it was the latest Star Wars movie, part of it was
the occasion of what would have been my 10th wedding anniversary.
I marveled, lamented, grieved and rejoiced over the changes my life has
brought me since I saw that first Star Wars film in New Brunswick, N.J., with
my college friends; over the seven years of Ally's misadventures; over the
places I have been, people I have known and lost and others I have found in
the 10 years since I've been married and divorced. Life changes, and it's
interesting that there is a core of me-ness that remembers it and connects
all those experiences through a bridge composed of memory, wisdom and
perspective. Maybe even love.
As much as we sometimes resist it, change can indeed be a blessing. Recently
I've watched as some people close to me continue to engage in the same
self-defeating, damaging, hurtful behavior they have for the past 30 years or
more. Maybe one definition of evil is that it resists change at all costs,
and in doing so, wreaks massive destruction. Or maybe evil is too strong a
word. Maybe it's just insanity. How did Einstein's describe it? Doing the
same thing over and over and expecting different results. Change can be
negative - deterioration, disintegration, chaos - or it can be positive -
growth, learning, building, expansiveness, hope. I guess it's all the way you
look at it and what path you decide to take.
This month, you're invited to contemplate your own path during our labyrinth
walks at New Life Presbyterian Church and First United Methodist Church. The
labyrinth is the perfect metaphor for life and its twists and turns. And yet,
like life, there are those moments when we glimpse a wondrous sense of order,
though we may not see it while we're in its midst.
I welcome you this month to join the labyrinth community - or participate in
a solo walk - around its curving and twisting path - and find peace, insight,
calm or maybe a footbridge of growth to connect your puzzling past and your
precious present.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

WALKS THIS MONTH
Friday, June 14 - Taize Service and Labyrinth Walk - New Life Presbyterian
Church
6:45 pm - Labyrinth set up (volunteers needed; two of our regulars won't be
able to help set up this month!)
7:00 pm - Orientation talk for brand new walkers
7:30 pm - Service of readings and Taize chants followed by community
labyrinth walk
Saturday, June 15 - Open Labyrinth Walks- New Life Presbyterian Church
    12 noon - 9 pm, volunteers willing.
We need 6 volunteers to staff the labyrinth, two for each shift beginning 12
noon - 2 pm; 2 pm - 4 pm, 4 pm - 6 pm. Please contact me at godwil@aol.com or
292.6706 or call the church at 296-2313 if you can help.
    Blessings and thanks to Fred and Nancy for staffing from 6 pm - 9 pm.
    PLEASE COME AND HELP PUT THE LABYRINTH AWAY AT 8:45 PM.
Wednesday, June 26 - Walk at First United Methodist Church 5-8 p.m.
Labyrinth set up is at 4 pm - volunteers needed for set up and take down at 8
pm. Contact Julianne West at 265-4603 or Donna Johnston at dakiniwind@aol.com
if you can help.

Thank you for your help and for being part of the labyrinth community.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Hi Friends:

I am writing this month's newsletter to you sitting in an Orlando hotel (from
VERY sunny and VERY hot Florida) on my birthday where I am ensconced for a
convention this week. My few minutes outside here during the heat of the day
made me extremely grateful that I live in Albuquerque where one can walk in
the sun or soak up its warmth and still be able to breathe, since the air is
not dripping with moisture. However, I do have to say that my parched
high-desert skin is rehydrating nicely, so that's a blessing too. ;-)

I just want to remind you that there is a Taize service this Friday night,
May 10 at 7:30 at New Life Presbyterian Church at 5540 Eubank NE, with the
orientation for new walkers beginning at 7:00 p.m. Help is needed and
welcomed at about 6:45-7:00 p.m. for setting up the labyrinth for the
evening.

It's my understanding that the labyrinth will be open from 12 noon to 9 pm on
Saturday May 11 at New Life, though we may need some volunteers to staff it
throughout the day. Please check with Ed Katzenberger at
katzenberger@unidial.com to see what shifts are needed. Also, I know we need
one person to help staff the labyrinth from 6-9 p.m. at New Life since Fred,
one of our regulars for that time slot each month, has a conflict. Again,
please let Ed know if you can help by emailing him or phoning the church at
296-2313. Your help is also welcome and needed for taking the labyrinth down
at 9 p.m. I don't have the volunteer list with me, so if you signed up for
any of these opportunities to provide the labyrinth to the community, THANK
YOU!!!

The labyrinth will also be open at First United Methodist Church at 4th and
Lead on Wednesday May 28, from 5 pm to 8 pm. Set up help is needed around
4-4:30 p.m., and also at 8 p.m to take it down.

Blessings to you all, on all the twists and turns of the path,
Lesley

Greetings Friends:

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

NEW LIFE PRESBYTERIAN WALKS: 5540 Eubank NE 296-2313

Friday, April 12
7 pm -- New Walker Orientation
7:30 -- Taize service of chants and community labyrinth walk by candlelight
-SET UP HELP WELCOMED AT 7 PM
-SHORT READINGS ON LOVE, JOY, HOPE AND PEACE WELCOMED - LET ME KNOW BY APRIL 8 IF YOU HAVE ANY TO
SHARE

Saturday, April 13
Noon-9 p.m. Labyrinth walk by candlelight
-ONE VOLUNTEER NEEDED TO SIT WITH THE LABYRINTH FROM 12 NOON - 2 PM
-TAKE-DOWN HELP WELCOMED AT 9 PM

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WALKS: 4th and Lead 265-4603
Wednesday, April 24
5 pm - 8 pm - Fellowship Hall
-SET UP HELP WELCOMED AT 4 PM; TAKE DOWN HELP WELCOMED AT 8 PM

A reminder and a thank you: if you signed up to help set up, take down or staff the labyrinth in April- THANK YOU!!!!!

May walks:
Friday, May 10 - Taize and community walk at New Life - service starts at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 11  -- Labyrinth open for walking at New Life from Noon - 9 pm.
Wednesday, May 22 - Labyrinth walk at First United Methodist from 5-8 pm

Greetings:

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 seek so much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand
To be loved, as to love.
For it is giving, that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

NEW LIFE PRESBYTERIAN WALKS: 5540 Eubank NE 296-2313
Friday, March 8
7 pm -- New Walker Orientation
7:30 -- Taize service of chants and community labyrinth walk by candlelight

Saturday, March 9
6-9 p.m. Labyrinth walk by candlelight

Good Friday, March 29
Time to be announced (I'll send out a notice in mid-March with times for this walk)

Friday, April 12
7 pm -- New Walker Orientation
7:30 -- Taize service of chants and community labyrinth walk by candlelight

Saturday, April 13
6-9 p.m. Labyrinth walk by candlelight
 

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WALKS: 4th and Lead 265-4603
Wednesday, March 27
4 pm - 8 pm - Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, April 24
4 pm - 8 pm - Fellowship Hall

A reminder and a thank you: if you signed up to help set up, take down or staff the labyrinth in March - THANK YOU!!!!!

A prayer request: Please keep Matalie Wham, our pianist, in your prayers for healing as she recovers from pnuemonia. Thank
you!
 

Footsteps:
                     The Monthly E-Newsletter of the Albuquerque Labyrinth Project
  February 2002

Greetings:

NEW LIFE PRESBYTERIAN WALKS: 5540 Eubank NE 296-2313
Friday, February 8
7 pm -- New Walker Orientation
7:30 -- Taize service of chants and community labyrinth walk by candlelight

Saturday, February 9
6-9 p.m. Labyrinth walk by candlelight

Friday, March 8
7 pm -- New Walker Orientation
7:30 -- Taize service of chants and community labyrinth walk by candlelight

Saturday, March 9
6-9 p.m. Labyrinth walk by candlelight

Good Friday, March 29
Time to be announced

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WALKS: 4th and Lead 265-4603
Wednesday, February 27
4 pm - 8 pm - Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, March 27
4 pm - 8 pm - Fellowship HallFootsteps Newsletter
March 2001

This newsletter is coming to you early this month, due to travel plans. But
it gives you plenty of time to plan and prepare to be at the labyrinth walks
this month!

"Challenges & Blessings" is a theme that comes to mind for this month. I've
watched friends and family wrestle with a wide range of challenges in the
last little while, many of them health-related. At the same time, I'm aware
of several folks struggling with personal or career challenges and questions
about future paths and directions.

In all these situations, the invitation to go inside for illumination,
insight, strength, and new perspectives is offered. It's a time to see the
stuff you're made of, and sometimes that's hard to look at. Other times it's
a wonderful surprise. The labyrinth can help with this journey, as a path
filled with lots of loving energy to surround the wayfarer on his or her
travels.

In the midst of challenges are unexpected blessings. I received a wonderful
handmade fabric labyrinth from one friend that will be my meditation
companion on my upcoming trip, and a labyrinth printed on Jerusalem Stone
from another friend. I shared these gifts with a neighbor's daughter visiting
from out of town. In exploring them, she discovered a new approach to retrain
her brain after surgery that left one eye weakened and her balance
compromised - tracing the labyrinth with her finger and following its winding
paths with her weakened eye to strengthen it. The gifts of the labyrinth
continue!

There are challenges and blessings along the winding paths we travel. One of
those blessings is this community that turns out to chant and walk together
on the second Friday night of each month- or those who choose to walk a more
solitary path during the open walks at New Life Presbyterian and First United
Methodist churches. It is heartening to be in the midst of such an honest
quest for spirit. I hope you find time to enrich your Lenten journey this
month with the shared sojourns of those around you.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Prayer Update…
Julianne West, who coordinates the walks at First United Methodist Church and
provides the orientation talk at the Taize service, has had her surgery and
is now facing the challenges of recovery and treatment. Please continue to
keep her in your prayers for healing, comfort, and support.
I have no further news on Angela Atkinson, who at last word was convalescing
from a very serious injury. She had left the hospital when I called and there
was no forwarding number.
If you feel so moved, please continue to hold both these friends in prayer or
in meditation with images of healing and comfort as you walk the labyrinth
and go about your activities this month.

Help Request
I'd like to send out email or faxed newsletters to the churches in
Albuquerque - currently, only a few receive word of the walks. I'd appreciate
a volunteer or two who would gather email and/or fax numbers from the
churches in town so we can include them in our mailings. If you're
interested, please email me or call me at 292.6706.

Walks:
Taize Service, New Life Presbyterian, 6:30 p.m. March 9:
--The monthly Taize service at New Life is this Friday night, March 9. Come
at 6:30 p.m. to help assemble the labyrinth and adorn it with candles for the
Taize service, a quiet time of hymns, chants readings and a labyrinth walk.
If you've never assembled a labyrinth before, come and learn something new!
--Orientation for folks who have never walked the labyrinth before is at 7
p.m. The service itself begins at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday Walk, New Life Presbyterian , 6-9 p.m. March 10:
-- Come and enjoy a peaceful, contemplative candlelight walk.

4th Wednesday Walk: First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW, Wednesday,
March 28 , 4:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted floor beneath the
labyrinth enhance the Wednesday evening walk on March 28 from 4:30 p.m.  -
8:30 p.m. Labyrinth preparation begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in
beautiful Fellowship Hall.

Next Labyrinth Team Meeting : TBA

April Walks
New Life Presbyterian Church: 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE 296-2313
The second Friday and Saturday this month are Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
At this writing, the Labyrinth team hasn't met yet to determine special
services or scheduling over the holiday. Stay tuned for details some time in
March.
First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
Wednesday evening, April 25 from 4:30 p.m.  - 8:30 p.m..

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Labyrinth Team
Ed Katzenberger 296-2313    katzenberger@unidial.com -
            Trained Labyrinth Facilitator
Julianne West       265-4603    julianne@spinn.net -
                            Trained Labyrinth Facilitator
Lesley Goddin       292-6706    godwil@aol.com
Fred Aiken          856-2145    FAAiken@aol.com
Laurie Moye         241-2792    lmoye@pnm.com
Donna Brown     881-6329    Dbrown1274@aol.com

Happy New Now!

Huh? you may say. Unless of course, you saw the December 30th Sunday Journal comics and read Mutts by Patrick McDonnell. The cat and dog, whose names I don't remember, are puzzling over all this human hullabaloo over the new year.

"Years? Months? Days?" the cat says. "For us it's always just NOW." And he wishes the dog "Happy NOW!" and "Happy New NOW!"

I liked that comic, and thought that it's not a bad message going into the new year. Especially over the holidays, things can get to be a jumble of activity from one thing to the next. It's easy to miss the NOW. And events of last fall were a reminder how precious each NOW is with the ones we love. Each now is a moment to relish the gift of life.

This Friday is the first Taize and labyrinth walk of the year. Please come and enjoy the candlelit NOW of the Taize service and peaceful walk with the labyrinth community. I especially encourage those new walkers who may have visited for the first time at the Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless First Day of Winter event, or walked the labyrinth on Christmas Eve or New Year's Day to come and join us again for a new walk into the NOW. Old walkers and new, you are welcome. The labyrinth community is looking forward to walking with you.

Happy New Now.
Blessings on the path,
Lesley

LABYRINTH WALK THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 11  AT NEW LIFE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH!!!!!
7 pm -- New Walker Orientation
7:30 -- Taize service of chants and community labyrinth walk by candlelight

JANUARY 13: NEW MOON WALK & YOGA EXPERIENCE
New Life Presbyterian Church from 7-9 pm with new walker orientation at 6:30.
Participate in an all-level candlelit yoga experience followed by labyrinth walk. Call Patsy Gaetano to register 848-9328. $12 in advance; $15 at the door; 1/2 the proceeds go to benefit the labyrinth.

LABYRINTH WALK WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 at FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
4 pm - 8 pm

Help is very much appreciated and needed at 6 pm on Friday at New Life for set up; and at 9 pm Saturday to put it away; also at 4 pm/ 8 pm  on the 23rd at First United Methodist for set up/put away. It's not hard to do and it doesn't take very long....the more people we have, the quicker and easier it is! Set up involves rolling out the labyrinth and velcro-ing it together, setting out candles. Putting it away involves folding it up and putting it in it's rolling carrier. Maximum time output: about 20 minutes. But it's a big help to the regulars!

Also, if you would like to volunteer to keep the labyrinth company while it is open at New Life or First United Methodist, let me know. Basically, you greet people who come in, point them to the literature about the labyrinth, offer them freshly washed socks from our sock basket if they need them, and inquire if they would like to be on the list to receive this newsletter. Pretty easy stuff. Usually we have 2 folks keep the labyrinth (and each other) company. You get a chance to walk the labyrinth while you're there, too, so it's a peaceful way to spend a few hours one evening. Please consider volunteering one Saturday night (NL) or Wednesday night (FUMC) and let one of us know so we can get you on the calendar. Your help is greatly appreciated.

A LITTLE NEWS:
On December 19, the labyrinth was part of the Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homless event at the Convention Center, where the canvas was set up in the lobby, ringed by Christmas lights. About 50 walkers journeyed on the path that night -- and we look forward to having them join us again during walks this year.It was a wonderful event and a great opportunity to let new people know about the labyrinth. We look forward to more opportunities like that in 2002, so if you know of any, please let one of the labyrinth committee know.

We also enjoyed a Christmas Eve candlelight labyrinth walk and service, with refreshments of homemade Christmas stollen baked by Linda Young, and orange juice. And about 30 or so folks greeted 2002 by walking on New Year's Day at New Life.

A LITTLE BUSINESS:
Since it's a new year, and we have new folks on our labyrinth email list, here are just a few basics:

New Life Presbyterian Church
5540 Eubank Blvd. NE phone
Rev. Ed Katzenberger 296-2313 or
Lesley Goddin 292-6706
Labyrinth Walks: 2nd Friday (Taize) 7:30 pm with 7 pm orientation for new walkers; 2nd Saturday 6 - 9 pm

First United Methodist Church
4th and Lead
Julianne West: 265-4603
Labyrinth walks: 4th Wednesday night from 4 - 8 pm

Labyrinth Committee
Rev. Ed Katzenberger
katzenberger@unidial.com
296-2313

Julianne West
julianne@spinn.net
265-4603

Donna Johnson
dakiniwind@aol.com

Fred Aiken
FAAiken@aol.com

Donna Brown
DBrown1274@aol.com

Lesley Goddin
292-6706
godwil@aol.com

Contact any of us with your input or ideas. If you want to rent or schedule the labyrinth for an event, call New Life Presbyterian church at 296-2313.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

At New Life each Advent, the church community is asked to contribute stories to a book of devotionals for Advent. The name of this booklet is “Light in the Darkness.” It seems to me that that is also a fitting reference for the labyrinth, though one could think of it as a “Path in the Darkness.”

Throughout the year, we wind our way through the convoluted canvas pathways beneath our feet at the labyrinth walk, mirroring in an artful and spiritual way the twists and turns our lives take from day to day and moment to moment. For many of us, walking that pathway brings peace, order, harmony, support, comfort, and safety. Though it’s hard to trace the pathway with your eye, if you entrust your feet to the path, you get to center and out again, in community or alone with the Spirit that walks with you. That does seem to be the way of the Spirit, urging us to trust its guidance as we keep going, slowly or quickly, in mourning or in joy, dragging our feet or dancing, even though we can’t always see how to get from point A to point B.

This season I invite you to join the journey at New Life, at First United Methodist or at the Health Care for the Homeless First Day of Winter event at the Albuquerque Convention Center on December 19. No matter where you walk, may peace be your constant companion through the holidays and in the year to come.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley
 

December Walks
New Life Presbyterian Church
The Friday Taize service will be December 14 at New Life Presbyterian Church. New walker orientation begins at 7 pm; the Taize service starts at 7:30.
Three volunteers are needed to help set up the labyrinth at 6 p.m. Please call New Life at 296-2313 if you can help.

The Saturday evening walk will take place on December 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come join the community of walkers during this contemplative time.
One of our regular volunteers who staffs the labyrinth on Saturdays will be unable to help this month. Please consider donating 3 hours of your time to sit in the peaceful presence of the labyrinth and simply welcome people to the walk. Call New Life if you can help, 296-2313.

FUMC WALKS
The walk at First United Methodist Church will be on December 26 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Donna Johnson needs help setting up and taking down the labyrinth at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., so please contact her at dakiniwind@aol.com if you can help.

HOLIDAY WALKS
Wednesday, December 19
“Walking a New Path” 15th Annual First Day of Winter Benefit for Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless, Albuquerque Convention Center, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Individual tickets to help raise funds for the homeless in our community are $35. Come enjoy a simple meal of green chile stew and a program of education and entertainment which includes the Albuquerque labyrinth.  Tony Lynn and Myles Copeland of 107.9FM and Patrick Hammer of KRQE News 13 will preside at the event, jazz group JO3  perform and there will be a raffle, a live auction, and a photo gallery of works by homeless photographer Allen B. Madans and other New Mexican photographers. Call 766-5197 for information.
There will be a sign up sheet at the Friday walk at New Life for those who wish to attend and get a table together. We welcome folks to help staff the labyrinth at this event. Please call New Life at 296-2313 or Julianne West at 265-4603 if you are interested in helping.

Monday, December 24 – Christmas Eve
Walking into Christmas – Public Christmas Eve walk from 11 p.m. to midnight, New Life Presbyterian Church 296-2313

Tuesday, January 1, 2002 – New Year’s Day
Walking into the New Year – New Year’s Day labyrinth walk from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. New Life Presbyterian Church 296-2313.

JANUARY WALKS
These are the regularly scheduled walks for January at New Life and FUMC churches.
Friday, January 11:  New Walker orientation 7 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. 296-2313
   Taize service with community labyrinth walk 7:30 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 6 p.m. to set up labyrinth
Saturday, January 12: Open labyrinth walk, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church
   3 volunteers needed at 9 p.m. to put labyrinth away

Wed. ,    January 23: FUMC walk, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
3 Volunteers needed at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to set up and put away labyrinth. Call 243-5646 for more information.

Thanksgiving. That’s the event of this month. Often there is a great hubbub around this time of year preparing for feasting, or getting ready to shop for Christmas or hunkering down to watch football (but what about those DIAMONDBACKS??? I bet THEY are giving thanks right now!).

This year, giving thanks is all the more poignant. Our world is being recreated on a day by day (sometimes hour by hour) basis, but this fall, we’ve really experienced a shakeup with the events of September 11 and continued threat to our country and well as being engaged in military action in Afghanistan. Sometimes it is hard be grateful in the midst of the upheaval, or in the midst of loss.

And other times it is easier. Easier because in this period of awakening, those simple things that may have been taken for granted become all the more precious. What a treasure it is to enjoy the smile on a loved one’s face, the relative abundance of food and clothing and shelter we enjoy in this country, the ability to worship as we choose in freedom. For me, it’s been a chance to reset priorities, to reevaluate how much time and energy I want to give about fretting over something, sometimes realizing it’s not worth the drain on my energy. It’s been a chance for me to wake up from some of some personal resentments I’d been carrying and lay them aside to more fully enter into community with people who are precious to me. Some of us are being hit economically, with job changes and layoffs. These challenges can’t exactly be termed “fun.” But in especially lucid moments I’ve noticed a change in my own attitude -- being grateful that I am alive and have the LUXURY of struggling over work or money or life in general. Each day I draw breath holds hope for me because I am alive to live it. I think of those who are not.

This month, perhaps the labyrinth walks offered by New Life Presbyterian and First United Methodist Churches will help you come into a renewed relationship with gratitude. Please join us this Friday night, November 9 for the Taize service of chants, readings and labyrinth walk. As usual, there will be an orientation for new walkers at 7 p.m., and the service will start at 7:30 p.m.

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”
-Meister Eckhart

Blessings on the path,
Lesley
 

November Walks
The Saturday evening open labyrinth walk will take place on November 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come join the community of walkers during this contemplative time.

If you’d like to combine Yoga and Labyrinth walking, put the “Blue Moon Yoga & Labyrinth Walk” on your calendar. On Friday, November 30 from 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. at New Life, during the only Blue Moon of 2001, Rev. Ed Katzenberger will present a 30-minute orientation on the labyrinth followed by a one-hour candlelit yoga practice, led by Patsy Gaetano. Afterwards will be a community labyrinth walk. The yoga practice is appropriate for all levels. Cost is $12, with half of the proceeds going to the labyrinth fund. Call Patsy at Yogaluna  to register 848-9328.

FUMC WALKS
The walk at First United Methodist Church will be on November 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Donna Johnson could use help setting up and taking down the labyrinth at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., so please contact her at dakiniwind@aol.com if you can help.

DECEMBER WALKS
The scheduled walks for December aren’t totally finalized at this writing. However, there will be the regular walks at New Life on:
Friday, December 7:  New Walker orientation 7 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. 296-2313
   Taize service with community labyrinth walk 7:30 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 6 p.m. to set up labyrinth
Saturday, December 8: Open labyrinth walk, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church
   3 volunteers needed at 9 p.m. to put labyrinth away

The First United Methodist Walk would be regularly scheduled for Dec. 26, but may be rescheduled due to holiday events at the church. Stay tuned or call the church at 243-5646 for more information.

Also, if you know anyone who joined the email labyrinth list after July of this year, please forward his or her email address to me. Electronic mail is wonderful, unless you lose the contents of your address book, as I have, and have to recreate it! I don’t want to leave out any of our regular readers, so if you know someone who regularly gets the newsletter but didn’t this month, please ask them to resend me their email address. Thank you!

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain,
A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time of love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.
 --Ecclesiastes 3:15

One of the things I have noticed as we have lived out this last month together is that Scriptures that never made a whole lot of sense to me before suddenly have new meaning. The verses above, from Ecclesiates in the Bible, eloquently describe the struggle I see among many of my brothers in my sisters ever since we left the relative comfort and naivete of the “good old days” – an era that ended for me on September 10.

What path do we take through a situation that calls for justice and protection, but that also evokes the searing hope for peace -- not violence -- in people’s hearts? How do we balance our need to protect ourselves while not hurting innocent people? How do we learn from the lessons of this harsh wake-up call and yet not fall into the dysfunctional practice of blaming the victim – ourselves – for the attack that has been visited upon us? And how do we shoulder the burdens that seem almost pedestrian in comparison to the shock and magnitude of the struggle we are engaged in as a country – unless of course, they are happening to you and your loved ones? Things like illness, death, dissolution of treasured relationships, crime, or job loss?

What comes across clearly is that there are no easy answers for any of this. Often it can be a pretty grim picture. Yet what’s also been a rising force through this last month of darkness and confusion is that we are not alone. We are in this together, and if we claim our unity and walk through this holding each other’s hands and bearing each others’ burdens, we find the courage and hope to find our footing through this, step by step. And not only do we have each other, but we have the presence of One who weeps with us and walks with us in all our struggles. In our walking and talking with each other – human and divine – there is the hope of finding the community and creativity to weather this storm and emerge from this season strong, wise, compassionate – and new.

Please come on Friday night to walk together in the gentle embrace of the labyrinth community at New Life Presbyterian church. The Taize service offers an opportunity for support, solidarity, and prayer. As usual, there will be an orientation for new walkers at 7 p.m., and the service will start at 7:30 p.m.

God reminds us in Isaiah 9:2 that we have not been the first people to go through these times of darkness and rebirth, and that God is there with us. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Come walk in that light, and add your individual flame to the fire that lights the way for us all.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley
 

October Walks
The Saturday evening open labyrinth walk will take place on October 13, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Come join the community of walkers during this contemplative time.

FUMC WALKS
The walk at First United Methodist Church will be on October 24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Donna Johnson could use help setting up and taking down the labyrinth at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., so please contact her at dakiniwind@aol.com if you can help.

NOVEMBER WALKS
The scheduled walks for November will be:
Friday, November 9:  New Walker orientation 7 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. 296-2313
   Taize service with community labyrinth walk 7:30 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 6 p.m. to set up labyrinth
Saturday, November 10: Open labyrinth walk, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church
   3 volunteers needed at 9 p.m. to put labyrinth away
Wednesday,
November 28: Open labyrinth walk, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. , First United Methodist Church, 4th & Lead SW
 3 volunteers needed at 4;30 p.m. and 8 :00 p.m. to set up and put away labyrinth

Tuesday morning shortly before 8 a.m. Mountain Time, I sat down to write this newsletter. But before I could write a single line, I learned of the tragedy unfolding in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

The rest of the day was spent staring at the TV or listening to the radio in disbelief and sadness. In between trying to reach family and friends back east by phone (futile) and email (Thank God for the Internet), I prayed. In the afternoon and evening, I spent time in the company of friends and loved ones. Suddenly, everyone I knew – even those I hadn’t talked to in a long time – were so very precious to me.

I learned my friends and loved ones in New York and New Jersey were safe. I was grateful and relieved.

Tuesday night, it was critical to me to spend time in the company of people to share, discuss, hug, reassure, mourn with, and support each other through the first day of this tragedy. Part of that was accomplished by attending the prayer vigil at Civic Plaza; part of it by being with friends later in the evening. Wednesday night a prayer service at New Life provided a lot of support and sharing, too.

Friday offers another chance for a community to join together for support, solidarity, and prayer – the Taize service at New Life Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m. As usual, there will be an orientation for new walkers at 7 p.m., and the service will start at 7:30 p.m.  Please come and be part of the community that mourns the loss of lives back east, supports each other in this new chapter in our history, and cries out our bewilderment and anger to God together. You may want to bring flowers in memory of those who lost their lives in this crisis.

When I got home Tuesday night, the words of an old song off Billy Joel’s  1976 “Turnstiles” album started rattling around in my head. I dug up my old vinyl album and read the lyrics. I’ve taken the liberty of excerpting lyrics do not apply (apologies to BJ). But many lyrics are uncannily evocative to me of the events and feelings right now – including the determined will of our nation to go “right on with the show” despite this opposition. And as a person who worked for about 13 years in Manhattan and lived in the shadow of the City for 38 years, it has special meaning,  I offer it to you, not to trivialize this tragedy with a pop song, but to share it as an anthem and a prayer for the events that began to unfold Tuesday, as our sense of invulnerability was shattered.

Please come on Friday night and on Saturday, when the labyrinth hours will be extended from noon to 9 p.m. We have now joined the world, in the sense of being at risk from this magnitude of terrorism on our own soil. If you can’t come, light a candle in your window or in front of your door at 7 p.m. to join in a nationwide campaign of support. Let’s be a strong community of light in this present darkness.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Blessings on the path,
Lesley
 

Excerpts from Miami 2017
I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the Empire State laid low….
And life went on beyond the Palisades…
They turned our power down
And drove us underground –
But we went right on with the show.
I’ve seen the lights go out on Broadway –
I saw the ruins at my feet…
I saw the lights go out on Broadway—
I saw the mighty skyline fall…
You know those lights were bright on Broadway—
But that was so many years ago….
There are not many who remember—
They say a handful still survive…
To tell the world about
The way the lights went out
And keep the memory alive.

-- Billy Joel

September Walks
The Saturday evening open labyrinth walk will take place on September 15, from noon to 9 p.m. Come join the community of walkers during this contemplative time. If you can help staff the labyrinth from about 1 – 3:30 on Saturday afternoon, please let me know. We need 2 extra people then.

FUMC WALKS
The walk at First United Methodist Church will be on September 26 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Donna Johnson could use help setting up and taking down the labyrinth at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., so please contact her at dakiniwind@aol.com if you can help.

OCTOBER WALKS
The scheduled walks for October will be:
Friday, October 12:  New Walker orientation 7 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. 296-2313
   Taize service with community labyrinth walk 7:30 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 6 p.m. to set up labyrinth
Saturday, October 13: Open labyrinth walk, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church
   3 volunteers needed at 9 p.m. to put labyrinth away
Wednesday, October 24: Open labyrinth walk, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. , First United Methodist Church, 4th & Lead SW
 3 volunteers needed at 4;30 p.m. and 8 :00 p.m. to set up and put away labyrinth

Greetings Friends!

TAIZE SERVICE RESUMES!
The good news is that the Taize Service resumes this Friday night, July 13, at New Life Presbyterian Church. New Walker Orientation is at 7 p.m., and the Taize service with labyrinth walk beginning at 7:30 p.m. We need three people to help set up the labyrinth at 6 p.m., so please let me know if you will be available to help.

The Saturday evening open labyrinth walk will take place on July14, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Three people are also needed to help put the labyrinth away at 9 p.m. Come walk in the cool of the evening to soothing music and candlelight and stay for a few minutes to put the labyrinth away.

FUMC WALK RESUMES!
Another good news is that the walk at First United Methodist Church on the 4th Wednesday of the month will resume from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., thanks to the coordination efforts of Donna Johnson. She could use help setting up and taking down the labyrinth at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25, so please contact her at dakiniwind@aol.com if you can help.

WORKSHOP REPORT
The Personal Finger Tracing Labyrinth Workshop that took place on Saturday, June 9 was a wonderful time of creativity and sharing with 10 members of the labyrinth community who made personal fabric labyrinths with colorful fabrics and glittering fabric paints. Many thanks to Rodema Ashby who led the workshop, to all who participated and to those who helped clean up!

RELATIONSHIP LABYRINTH
I had the opportunity to walk the outdoor Relationship Labyrinth designed by Len Meserve in Santa Fe on The Summer Solstice, June 21st. It was a very spirit-filled experienced, enhanced by wild winds, rhythmic drumming and a welcoming labyrinth community. My two out-of-town guests were very moved by the walk and it contributed to a time of bonding and spiritual closeness for us all.

AUGUST WALKS
The scheduled walks for August will be:
Friday, August 10:  New Walker orientation 7 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. 296-2313
   Taize service with community labyrinth walk 7:30 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 6 p.m. to set up labyrinth
Saturday, August 11: Open labyrinth walk, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., New Life Presbyterian Church
   3 volunteers needed at 9 p.m. to put labyrinth away
Wednesday, August 22: Open labyrinth walk, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. , First United Methodist Church, 4th & Lead SW
 3 volunteers needed at 4;30 p.m. and 8 :00 p.m. to set up and put away labyrinth

Please continue in prayers of healing and strength for Julianne West. See you on the path!

Blessings on the path,
Lesley
 

Greetings Friends!

Due to circumstances beyond our control, please note that the Taize Service for the month of June is cancelled. It will resume on Friday, July 13 with the New Walker Orientation at 7 p.m., and the Taize service with labyrinth walk beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thank you to those who offered to help with aspects of the service – your assistance would be greatly appreciated at a future service.

The Saturday evening open labyrinth walk on June 9th will take place as scheduled, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Another cancellation is the walk at First United Methodist Church on the 4th Wednesday of the month. This walk will be cancelled until further notice. Thank you to those who pitched in to help with set up, staffing and putting the labyrinth away at FUMC.

The Personal Finger Tracing Labyrinth Workshop will take place Saturday, June 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at New Life Presbyterian Church. For more information, call me at 292-6706 or send an email to godwil@aol.com.

The next scheduled walk will be at New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE (296-2313):
Friday, July 13:   New Walker orientation 7 p.m.
   Taize service with community labyrinth walk 7:30 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 6 p.m. to set up labyrinth
Saturday, July 14: Open labyrinth walk, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
   3 volunteers needed at 9 p.m. to put labyrinth away

Please continue in prayer for Julianne West and Fred Aiken as they recover from respective illnesses, and keep Rev. Ed Katzenberger in your prayers for safe travel from June 8 – 17th.

Blessings on the path,

Pardon the brevity of this note – I am burning the midnight oil to bring you information on upcoming labyrinth events and walks!

Friday, May 11 Taize Service and Labyrinth Walk
New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE
6:15 p.m.: Set-up (3 volunteers needed)
7:00 p.m.: New walker orientation
7:30 p.m.: Service with Taize chants and readings; and labyrinth walk

Saturday, May 12, Labyrinth Walk 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE
One or two volunteers needed to help staff the labyrinth and especially at 9 pm to help put the labyrinth away. One of our regular volunteers, Fred Aiken, is recovering from gallbladder surgery and can’t lift the labyrinth to store it. Please let me know if you can come for 20 minutes to help fold the labyrinth and put it away.

Wednesday, May 23, Labyrinth Walk 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW at 4th St.
Volunteers needed all around to help while FUMC organizer Julianne recovers from surgery and cancer treatment.
3 people needed at 4 p.m. for set up
2 people needed from 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. for staffing
4 people needed at 8:30 p.m.to put the labyrinth away.
Please let me know if you can help with any of these activities by next Wednesday, May 16.

Saturday, June 9: Personal Finger Tracing Labyrinth Workshop 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE
Come and make a portable fabric labyrinth you can trace with your finger!
Cost: $10 in advance. Registration forms available at New Life and FUMC walks this month, and will come shortly in a separate email.

Prayer alert:
Please continue to keep labyrinth community members Julianne West in your prayers for recovery from cancer, and Fred Aiken in your prayers for continued recovery from surgery to remove his gallbladder last month.

Questions? Email me or give me a call at 292-6706!

Blessings on the path,

Footsteps Newsletter
March 2001

This newsletter is coming to you early this month, due to travel plans. But it gives you plenty of time to plan and prepare to be at the labyrinth walks this month!

“Challenges & Blessings” is a theme that comes to mind for this month. I’ve watched friends and family wrestle with a wide range of challenges in the last little while, many of them health-related. At the same time, I’m aware of several folks struggling with personal or career challenges and questions about future paths and directions.

In all these situations, the invitation to go inside for illumination, insight, strength, and new perspectives is offered. It’s a time to see the stuff you’re made of, and sometimes that’s hard to look at. Other times it’s a wonderful surprise. The labyrinth can help with this journey, as a path filled with lots of loving energy to surround the wayfarer on his or her travels.

In the midst of challenges are unexpected blessings. I received a wonderful handmade fabric labyrinth from one friend that will be my meditation companion on my upcoming trip, and a labyrinth printed on Jerusalem Stone from another friend. I shared these gifts with a neighbor’s daughter visiting from out of town. In exploring them, she discovered a new approach to retrain her brain after surgery that left one eye weakened and her balance compromised – tracing the labyrinth with her finger and following its winding paths with her weakened eye to strengthen it. The gifts of the labyrinth continue!

There are challenges and blessings along the winding paths we travel. One of those blessings is this community that turns out to chant and walk together on the second Friday night of each month– or those who choose to walk a more solitary path during the open walks at New Life Presbyterian and First United Methodist churches. It is heartening to be in the midst of such an honest quest for spirit. I hope you find time to enrich your Lenten journey this month with the shared sojourns of those around you.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Prayer Update…
Julianne West, who coordinates the walks at First United Methodist Church and provides the orientation talk at the Taize service, has had her surgery and is now facing the challenges of recovery and treatment. Please continue to keep her in your prayers for healing, comfort, and support.
I have no further news on Angela Atkinson, who at last word was convalescing from a very serious injury. She had left the hospital when I called and there was no forwarding number.
If you feel so moved, please continue to hold both these friends in prayer or in meditation with images of healing and comfort as you walk the labyrinth and go about your activities this month.

Help Request
I’d like to send out email or faxed newsletters to the churches in Albuquerque – currently, only a few receive word of the walks. I’d appreciate a volunteer or two who would gather email and/or fax numbers from the churches in town so we can include them in our mailings. If you’re interested, please email me or call me at 292.6706.

Walks:
Taize Service, New Life Presbyterian, 6:30 p.m. March 9:
--The monthly Taize service at New Life is this Friday night, March 9. Come at 6:30 p.m. to help assemble the labyrinth and adorn it with candles for the Taize service, a quiet time of hymns, chants readings and a labyrinth walk. If you’ve never assembled a labyrinth before, come and learn something new!
--Orientation for folks who have never walked the labyrinth before is at 7 p.m. The service itself begins at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday Walk, New Life Presbyterian , 6-9 p.m. March 10:
-- Come and enjoy a peaceful, contemplative candlelight walk.

4th Wednesday Walk: First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW, Wednesday, March 28 , 4:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted floor beneath the labyrinth enhance the Wednesday evening walk on March 28 from 4:30 p.m.  – 8:30 p.m. Labyrinth preparation begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in beautiful Fellowship Hall.

Next Labyrinth Team Meeting : TBA

April Walks
New Life Presbyterian Church: 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE 296-2313
The second Friday and Saturday this month are Good Friday and Holy Saturday. At this writing, the Labyrinth team hasn’t met yet to determine special services or scheduling over the holiday. Stay tuned for details some time in March.
First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
Wednesday evening, April 25 from 4:30 p.m.  – 8:30 p.m..

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Labyrinth Team
Ed Katzenberger 296-2313 katzenberger@unidial.com – Trained Labyrinth Facilitator
Julianne West  265-4603 julianne@spinn.net – Trained Labyrinth Facilitator
Lesley Goddin  292-6706 godwil@aol.com
Fred Aiken  856-2145 FAAiken@aol.com
Laurie Moye  241-2792 lmoye@pnm.com
Donna Brown  881-6329 Dbrown1274@aol.com

Footsteps Newsletter
  February 2001

  This month is a month that focuses on "heart" and all the things that heart
  represents.

  Typically, that means love in the romantic sense - and all you have to do is
  walk in your local grocery store and see aisles festooned with St.
  Valentine's Day hearts, cupids, chocolates and flowers if there's any doubt.
  Do you know where the Valentine's Day connection with love comes from?

  According to some Internet research, legend has it that St. Valentine was a
  Roman priest in about 270 AD, who refused to renounce his faith, and assisted
  the martyrs under the persecution of Claudius II. While imprisoned, he was
  reputed to restore sight to the blind adopted daughter of one of the guards,
  and the whole family converted to Christianity. The prefect of Rome had him
  beheaded on February 14. The association with romantic love has to do with a
  belief in England and France during the Middle Ages that February 14 (St.
  Valentine's feast day) marked the time when birds began to pair. Thus the
  commemoration of a spiritually passionate man has been popularized into a
  sentimental day for sweethearts.

  Having heart can go beyond romance, however, and it's my experience that
  daring to be connected with one's heart brings authentic living and
  spirituality. My prayer for those walking the labyrinth this month is that it
  can provide a way to discover more about our own heart, and the vision and
  courage to help us live those insights in the world beyond the labyrinth.

  We need knowledge and heart.
  Spirituality is about both.
  --Ronald Rolheiser
  (courtesy of Jodi Hanson)

  Blessings on the path,
  Lesley

  Prayer Alert…
  Please keep these two members of our labyrinth community in your thoughts and
  prayers for healing and support. Julianne West, who coordinates the walks at
  First United Methodist Church and provides the orientation talk at the Taize
  service, is about to face some serious surgery next week, and afterwards,
  several months of recovery and treatment.
  Angela Atkinson, who got the ball rolling on the Albuquerque Labyrinth
  Project with fundraising efforts a few years ago, is convalescing from a very
  serious injury.
  If you feel so moved, please hold both these friends in prayer or in
  meditation with images of healing and comfort as you walk the labyrinth and
  go about your activities this month.

  Help Request:
  Julie is requesting help setting up and staffing the labyrinth for the walk
  on Wednesday, February 28 at First United Methodist Church. She will be
  unable to either set up or staff the walk, which runs from 4:30 pm to 8:30
  pm. To help, please call me at 292.6706 or email me at godwil@aol.com before
  Tuesday, February 20.

  Thanks ....
  For our Website:
  At our last labyrinth meeting, Mary Steele volunteered to develop a labyrinth
  website for us, and she is currently in the process of doing so. Thank you so
  much, Mary for your work and willingness to help get the word out about the
  Albuquerque labyrinth to online searchers.
  For candle/canvas cleaners:
  Last month, Susan Busch and Rodema Ashby continued and completed the
  candlecleaning work begun by Nancy Rodgers. Now we have many fresh, clean
  candleholders so our lights can shine brightly. Also, Suljana Prouty wielded
  hair dryer and iron to clean up some soiled wax drippings on our labyrinth
  canvas. Many thanks to all these members of our community!

  Walks:
  Taize Service, New Life, 6:30 p.m. February 9:
  --The monthly Taize service at New Life is this Friday night, February 9. It
  will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an opportunity to assemble the labyrinth and
  adorn it with candles for the Taize service, a quiet time of hymns, chants
  readings and a labyrinth walk. If you've never assembled a labyrinth before,
  come and learn something new!
  --Orientation for folks who have never walked the labyrinth before is at 7
  p.m.

  Saturday Walk, New Life, 6-9 p.m. February 10:
  --Hours for the Saturday walk at New Life are from 6 p.m.  - 9 p.m. Come and
  enjoy a peaceful, contemplative candlelight winter's walk.

  4th Wednesday Walk: First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
  Stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted floor beneath the
  labyrinth enhance the Wednesday evening walk on February 21 from 4:30 p.m.  -
  8:30 p.m. Labyrinth preparation begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in
  beautiful Fellowship Hall.

  Next Labyrinth Team Meeting : Thursday February 22
  -You are invited to attend the next Labyrinth Team meeting on Thursday,
  February 22 at 6 p.m. at Country Kitchen Restaurant, Menaul east of San
  Pedro. Please come and share your ideas, input, and enthusiasm on new
  opportunities for sharing the blessing of the labyrinth with the rest of
  Albuquerque. Let us know you're coming so we know how big of a table to ask
  the Country Kitchen folks to set for us!
  We are still taking votes for the name for the Albuquerque labyrinth
  community. If you haven't done so already, please email me your "votes" (yes,
  they all count!) on the names below or propose a new name you like. Names
  proposed so far include:
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Community
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Sojourners
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Project
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Group
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Movement
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Walkers
  -Albuquerque Labyrinth Friends
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth Collective
  -Pilgrims on the Path: The Albuquerque Labyrinth Community
  -Spiritwalkers of the Albuquerque Labyrinth
  -Pathfinders of the Albuquerque Labyrinth
  -The Labyrinth Team
  -The Albuquerque Labyrinth

  March Walks
  New Life Presbyterian Church: 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE 296-2313
  March 9, Friday; Labyrinth preparation at 6:30 p.m. with New Walker
  Orientation at 7 pm;  Taize service at 7:30 p.m.
  March 10, Saturday from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
  First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
  Wednesday evening, March 28 from 4:30 p.m.  - 8:30 p.m. Labyrinth preparation
  begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in beautiful Fellowship Hall. Come
  enjoy the stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted floor beneath
  the labyrinth.

  Blessings on the path,
  Lesley

  Labyrinth Team
  Ed Katzenberger 296-2313    katzenberger@unidial.com - Trained Labyrinth
  Facilitator
  Julianne West       265-4603    julianne@spinn.net - Trained Labyrinth
  Facilitator
  Lesley Goddin       292-6706    godwil@aol.com
  Fred Aiken      856-2145    FAAiken@aol.com
  Laurie Moye     241-2792    lmoye@pnm.com
  Donna Brown     881-6329    Dbrown1274@aol.com

Footsteps Newsletter
 January 2001

This year begins with a wonderful treasure: the "Sacred Strolling" story on
the labyrinth that appeared in the January 4 issue of Crosswinds, sensitively
written by Elizabeth Wolf. If you haven't read it yet, pick up your copy
before Thursday!

I recently received a calendar with specially selected verses by Jodi Hanson,
whose youth group in Wisconsin made our labyrinth for us. The January
selection seems to bring a perfect meditation on which to begin this new
year, new century and TRUE new millennium.  This selection is from The
Four-Fold Way by Angeles Arrien:

Show up or choose to be present.
Pay attention to what has heart or meaning.
Tell the truth without blame or judgment.
Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Walks:
Taize Service, New Life, 6:30 p.m. January 12:
--The monthly Taize service at New Life is this Friday night, January 12 . It
will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an opportunity to assemble the labyrinth and
adorn it with candles for the Taize service, a quiet time of hymns, chants
readings and a labyrinth walk. If you've never assembled a labyrinth before,
come and learn something new!
--Orientation for folks who have never walked the labyrinth before is at 7
p.m.

Saturday Walk, New Life, 6-9 p.m. January 13:
--Hours for the Saturday walk at New Life are from 6 p.m.  - 9 p.m. Come and
enjoy a peaceful, contemplative candlelight winter's walk.

4th Wednesday Walk: First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
Stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted floor beneath the
labyrinth enhance the Wednesday evening walk on January 24 from 4:30 p.m.  -
8:30 p.m. Labyrinth preparation begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in
beautiful Fellowship Hall.

Next Labyrinth Team Meeting : Thursday January 18
-You are invited to attend the next Labyrinth Team meeting on Thursday,
January 18 at 6 p.m. at Country Kitchen Restaurant, Menaul east of San Pedro.
Please come and share your ideas, input, and enthusiasm on new opportunities
for sharing the blessing of the labyrinth with the rest of Albuquerque. Let
us know you're coming so we know how big of a table to ask the Country
Kitchen folks to set for us!
We still haven't decided on a name for the Albuquerque labyrinth community
but we'll be talking about it at this meeting.  Please email me your "votes"
(yes, they all count!) on the names below or propose a new name you like.
Names proposed so far include:
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Community
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Sojourners
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Project
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Group
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Movement
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Walkers
-Albuquerque Labyrinth Friends
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Collective
-Pilgrims on the Path: The Albuquerque Labyrinth Community
-Spiritwalkers of the Albuquerque Labyrinth
-Pathfinders of the Albuquerque Labyrinth

February Walks
New Life Presbyterian Church: 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE 296-2313
February 9, Friday; Labyrinth preparation at 6:30 p.m. with New Walker
Orientation at 7 pm;  Taize service at 7:30 p.m.
February 10, Saturday from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
Wednesday evening, February 28 from 4:30 p.m.  - 8:30 p.m. Labyrinth
preparation begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in beautiful Fellowship
Hall. Come enjoy the stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted
floor beneath the labyrinth.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Labyrinth Team
Ed Katzenberger 296-2313    katzenberger@unidial.com - Trained Labyrinth
Facilitator
Julianne West       265-4603    julianne@spinn.net - Trained Labyrinth
Facilitator
Lesley Goddin       292-6706    godwil@aol.com
Fred Aiken      856-2145    FAAiken@aol.com
Laurie Moye     790-5805    lmoye@pnm.com
Donna Brown     881-6329    Dbrown1274@aol.com
Angela Atkinson     341-2711

Footsteps Newsletter
 December 2000

Welcome to the season of Light! December is a time when we celebrate the
coming of the Light -- or we celebrate with light -- in a range of faith and
cultural traditions: Christianity, Judaism, the African-American holiday of
Kwanzaa and even the ancient observance of Solstice.

The Labyrinth - ringed with candelight at New Life or strings of Christmas
lights at First United Methodist -- will be available to accompany you
through a variety of celebrations and observances this month. May your path
be filled with light, and also in this season, may your meditations on the
labyrinth bring a sense of lightness to your heart and spirit.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays all around,
Blessings,

Lesley
 

Taize Service, New Life, 6:30 p.m. December 8:
--The monthly Taize service at New Life is this Friday night, December 8. It
will begin at 6:30 p.m. with an opportunity to assemble the labyrinth and
adorn it with candles for the Taize service. Those who participate in the
labyrinth preparation are invited to take an individual walk on the labyrinth
before the Taize service begins at 7:30 p.m. Please come and take part in the
preparation of the labyrinth for the evening community.
--Orientation for folks who have never walked the labyrinth before is at 7
p.m.

Saturday Walk, New Life, 6-9 p.m. December 9
--Hours for the Saturday walk at New Life are from 6 p.m.  - 9 p.m. Please
come and enjoy a peaceful, contemplative candlelight walk in the fading light
of an autumn evening.

"Walking into the Light - a Christmas Solstice Celebration",
First United Methodist, 4:30 -8:30 p.m., Service at 7 pm - Thursday, December
21
--Come join us for this special celebration of the Light at First United
Methodist Church. The light-ringed labyrinth will be open for walking after
initial set up at 4:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., come enjoy a special service designed
to celebrate the lengthening light of post-Solstice winter and the spiritual
light of the Christmas season.

Holiday Walks at New Life Presbyterian Church:
Christmas Eve, 11:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
New Year's Day, 2 - 5 p.m.
Usher in your Christmas or the New Year on the labyrinth. The labyrinth will
be open for walking from 11:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, Sunday,
December 24 and from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on New Year's Day, Monday, January
1.
Help setting up on Christmas Eve at about 10 :00 p.m. and putting the
labyrinth away at 5:00 p.m. on January 1 is greatly needed and appreciated.
Please email me or contact the church if you can help.
 

Next Labyrinth Team Meeting : Thursday January 18
-The next Labyrinth Team meeting is on Thursday, January 18 at 6 p.m. at
Country Kitchen Restaurant, Menaul east of San Pedro. The Team invites
members of the labyrinth community to attend with ideas, input, enthusiasm or
new perspectives on new opportunities for sharing the blessing of the
labyrinth with the rest of Albuquerque. Please let us know you're coming so
we know how big of a table to ask the Country Kitchen folks to set for us!
If you have any input on names for the Albuquerque labyrinth community please
come to the meeting and share your ideas, or let one of the Labyrinth Team
know. Names proposed so far include:
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Community
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Sojourners
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Project
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Group
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Movement
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Walkers
-Albuquerque Labyrinth Friends
-The Albuquerque Labyrinth Collective
-Pilgrims on the Path: The Albuquerque Labyrinth Community
-Spiritwalkers of the Albuquerque Labyrinth

January Walks
New Life Presbyterian Church: 5540 Eubank Blvd. NE 296-2313
    January 12, Friday; Labyrinth preparation at 6:30 p.m. with New Walker
Orientation at 7 pm;  Taize service at 7:30 p.m.
Janauary 13, Saturday from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
First United Methodist Church, 314 Lead SW 243-5646
    Wednesday evening, January 24 from 4:30 p.m.  - 8:30 p.m. Labyrinth
preparation begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the walk in beautiful Fellowship
Hall. Come enjoy the stained glass windows, and the comfort of a carpeted
floor beneath the labyrinth.

Blessings on the path,
Lesley

Labyrinth Team
Ed Katzenberger 296-2313    katzenberger@unidial.com - Trained Labyrinth
Facilitator
Julianne West       265-4603    julianne@spinn.net -
Trained Labyrinth Facilitator
Lesley Goddin       292-6706    godwil@aol.com
Fred Aiken      856-2145    FAAiken@aol.com
Laurie Moye     790-5805    lmoye@pnm.com
Donna Brown     881-6329    Dbrown1274@aol.com
Angela Atkinson     341-2711

Footsteps Newsletter May 1999

May has come in like a lion….wait, aren't we a couple of months behind? Hope
you are staying grounded despite the sirocco that has been blowing through
our world, both spiritually and physically. I am grateful for access to the
labyrinth during moments of history like the ones we are living through  --
the crisis in the Balkans, the Littleton tragedy, the devastation in Oklahoma
and other personal challenges we have to grapple with. I hope it is proving
to be a blessing you -- helping you find the spirit in the wind -- as you
walk the winding, windy path through life right now. I'm waiting with you in
hopes that May goes out like a lamb.

This month we make the change to our new schedule - the second Saturday of
the month - May 8th -- from 12 noon to 8:00 p.m. On Friday the 7thrd, you are
invited to attend the evening service of Taize chants, hymns, readings and
labyrinth walk at New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank, NE. The service
begins at 7:00 p.m.

Please note that beginning in May, we will be asking a suggested donation of
$5.00 for each walk (volunteers are exempt). In our steering committee
discussion in March, it was observed that if people are asked to pay for a
service or an event, it is deemed more valuable. With walking attendance
falling off for the labyrinth lately, we thought we would employ this
suggestion and see if it makes an impact. Money raised through the donations
will continue to fund the insurance on the canvas, candles, socks, music, and
the printing of a new brochure for which we now have the design.

Speaking of brochures, if you know good places for them to be distributed,
please let me know. We are looking at getting about 1,000 printed initially
and want to spread the word!

Julianne West is coordinating volunteers for May. Though she has nearly all
the shifts filled, she may still need some assistance for the 2:00 p.m. -
4:00 p.m. shift. Contact Julie at jswest@unm.edu, phone 265-4603.  Shifts
have been shortened to two hours each.

The American Association of Pastoral Counselors wound up not using our
labyrinth for their conference. A member of the conference brought her own
from Arizona, so the attendees still got to walk the labyrinth, just not the
Albuquerque labyrinth!  Many thanks to those of you who offered your time to
set up and sit with the labyrinth when we thought we were going to be
responsible for that part of the conference events.

Remember that First Church of Religious Science will host an adult retreat
that will utilize the labyrinth. I'm including the notice that was in the
April newsletter, in case you are interested in attending. Also, the Sisters
of the Dominican Retreat House will seek to educate attendees at their
holistic retreat about the labyrinth with a presentation. This will take
place on the weekend of May 16th .

Thank you to those of you who have kept Doug Calderwood in prayer. He is
steadily recovering from triple bypass surgery and an angioplasty last month,
and is returning to work this week.

We still could use someone who would volunteer to coordinate monthly mailings
of this newsletter so our non-electronically endowed friends can receive news
of the labyrinth each month. This would entail folding the newsletters and
affixing address labels and stamps. Email me or call me at 292.6706 if you
will help.

Blessings to you on all the windblown paths you walk this month.

--Lesley
 

Footsteps Newsletter April 1999

I hope mid-April finds you in good health - spiritually, mentally,
emotionally, and physically. May the reappearance of colorful plants and
green grass renew you, longer hours of daylight sustain you, and the reminder
of rebirth represented by this Easter season bring you a new perspective and
energy to tackle life's demands with grace and even joy.

This month, we have only one walk on Saturday the 24th - and PLEASE NOTE THAT
THE HOURS HAVE CHANGED! The labyrinth will be open from 12 noon until 8:00
p.m. on the 24th, and these hours will remain in effect until further notice.
On Friday the 23rd, you are invited to attend the evening service of Taize
chants, hymns, readings and labyrinth walk at New Life Presbyterian Church,
5540 Eubank, NE. The service begins at 7:00 p.m.

Ed Katzenberger is coordinating volunteers for April. He has nearly all
two-hours shifts filled, but may need one other person for the 4 pm - 6 pm
shift. Contact Ed at katzenberger@unidial.com, 296-2313 or 342-2601.

In April, the labyrinth will be used by a convention of spiritual directors,
and also by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors the last weekend
of the month. Volunteers are needed on Friday, April 29 from 10:30 a.m.  -
2:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 1 from 12 noon - 4:00 p.m. to set up and take
down the labyrinth, and also to help staff it. If you can come to the
Convention Center and assist for any of those activities, please call me at
292-6706 or the church office at 296-2313.

 In May, First Church of Religious Science will host an adult retreat that
will utilize the labyrinth. If you are interested in attending, check out the
notice that appears at the end of this newsletter. Also, the Sisters of the
Dominican Retreat House will seek to educate attendees at their holistic
retreat about the labyrinth with a presentation. This will take place on the
weekend of May 16th .

Remember that in May we will move to ONE weekend labyrinth walk on the 2nd
Saturday of the month, (May 8th ) from 12 noon until 8:00. On Friday, May
7th, we will have the Taize service with labyrinth walking. Volunteer shifts
will be shortened to 2 hours each, beginning at noon, so please let me know
if you will be available to sit with the labyrinth during one of the
sessions.

A special request: for those of you who pray while walking the labyrinth,
please keep Doug Calderwood in your prayers. Doug is a member of New Life,
and was Volunteer Coordinator for the Labyrinth in February. The Tuesday
before Easter, Doug suffered a heart attack, and underwent triple bypass
surgery and an angioplasty. He is doing very well, but needs to make
adjustments to diet and lifestyle to optimize his cardiac health. Please keep
Doug in your thoughts or prayers for recovery, as well as his loved ones who
care and support him.

Blessings to you on all the paths you walk this month.

--Lesley
 

Footsteps Newsletter: March 1999 Edition

Happy Spring to all! Though it hasn't been a really tough winter weatherwise,
it sure is nice to see the haze of green spreading over the treetops and the
ornamental cherry trees greeting us with their pink blossoms. As nature guides
us into a new season, we have some changes in the labyrinth as well.

We had a potluck meeting of the Steering Committee on Friday night, March.
Those in attendance included Rev. Ed Katzenberger, Fred Aiken, Julianne West,
Kerry Sutter and husband Ross, and me, Lesley Goddin. We discussed a number of
issues from promotion to scheduling. Here's the outcome of the meeting:

Promotional Ideas:
It is important that we let more of the Albuquerque community know that there
is a labyrinth in its midst. To accomplish this, we have come up with several
ideas we can achieve with available peoplepower:
1) T-Shirts: During the Walk at New Life on March 27th, we will create special
edition T-shirts emblazoned with the labyrinth pattern and some information
about the labyrinth. We are asking people to bring their own T-shirts and
$5.00 to cover the cost of heat-transfer paper, etc. We are asking those who
plan to take part in the "Way of the Cross, Way of Compassion" walk on Good
Friday sponsored by the Center for Action and Contemplation to wear the shirts
that day - and any other opportunity you get!
2) We will be developing Labyrinth bookmarks to distribute at libraries and
bookstores to raise awareness about the labyrinth. If you have any contacts at
bookstores or libraries, please ask them about the feasibility of distributing
bookmarks at that location.
3) We will once again try to pursue a story in the Albuquerque Journal about
the labyrinth. A story was published in the Northern Edition of the Journal,
but due to elimination of religion coverage in lieu of more sports coverage in
Albuquerque, our labyrinth story got squeezed out. If you so inclined, you may
wish to place a call to ABQ Journal City Editor Charlie Moore at 823-3841 to
tell him about this great resource available in Albuquerque and urge coverage
of it. Now that we have the Taize service, we may have another hook to
interest the paper, as well as the fact that two national conferences meeting
in New Mexico will be renting the labyrinth in April.
4) We are developing a press release to facilitate news coverage of the
labyrinth.
5) We are developing a brochure on the labyrinth.
6) Kerry is planning to contact Bill Woods of Channel 13 to try to raise
interest in featuring the labyrinth on the "Postcard from NM" feature he does.
7) We will continue running a calendar listing in the Weekly Alibi.

Rental Fees:
We have established rates for non-profit groups who wish to rent the
labyrinth. They are as follows:
1-3 days: $75/day
3-7 days: $300

Scheduling & Volunteers:
For March, we will have the Taize service with chants and labyrinth walk on
Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m. The labyrinth will be open for walking from 10 am
to 9 pm on Saturday the 27th. (One more volunteer is needed for the 4-7 shift,
so if you can help, please call or email me!)

In April, the labyrinth will be open on Good Friday, April 2nd, from 6-9 pm
and Saturday, April 24th from 10 am - 9pm. The Taize service will be April 23.
Ed Katzenberger will be the Volunteer Coordinator for April, so if you are
available to help staff the labyrinth that month, please contact him at
296-2313 or email him at: katzenberger@unidial.com

In April the labyrinth will also be rented to one convention of Pastoral
Counselors, and one convention of Spiritual Directors meeting here in New
Mexico.

Starting in May, we will scale back our walking schedule to one walk a month,
due to both lack of volunteers for staffing and low levels of people actually
attending  the walks. (Be assured that if interest in walking and staffin