This is the labyrinth I built in my backyard over the past 2 summers--with MUCH thanks to my youngest son Richard for doing the math and spray painting the design for me. I dug it by hand, using pavers since I'm a wimp and can't lift very much.

This is a seven-circuit, or classic, labyrinth; it is NOT a maze, since there is only one way in and one way out. Labyrinths are a form of walking meditation. My brother Pete, an Episcopal priest in Seattle, introduced me to them, and I walk mine every day. I've chosen certain topics for contemplation on each circuit--mostly friends and family, with the outer circuit being reserved for the planet.

This is the way I've tried to retain a sense of spirituality outside of the realm of organized religion. I have to agree with Albert Einstein, who once said:

"I cannot conceive of a god who rewards and punishes his creatures or has a will of the kind we experience in ourselves. Neither can I -- nor would I want to -- conceive of an individual that survives his physical death. I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life and glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world...."