The Labyrinth

A wedding is a beautiful ritual that brings family and friends together to witness the loving couple’s commitment to share life’s journey . . . hopefully forever. The reader is cordially invited to attend the wedding of Laurie Gallagher and Rob Boccio. The ceremony will take place in the chapel of the prestigious Carriage House located in upper Brookville, Long Island. Bride and groom look forward to your attendance. The bride makes her long awaited appearance in a vision of white tulle and lace on the arm of a loving Father and begins her ceremonial walk down the isle to join her handsome groom waiting at the altar. We look around into the faces of those attending the ceremony and notice a tear in many of their eyes. They are tears of happiness for the young couple, who stand before them performing this beautiful drama, so fresh and new; so saturated with love, hope and expectancy of a glorious future. The more mature individual smiles, knowing that the road ahead is not always so smooth and free of challenge. Most of us can relate to a period in life when we felt out of control, unproductive, and/or fearful. Some unseen force had taken charge and was holding us in abeyance. When and if this occurs, our author suggests it is the Labyrinth of Life, an intricate, invisible structure of interconnecting passages through which it is often difficult to find one’s way. There doesn’t seem to be an age preference. Young and old fall victim to the dictates of the Labyrinth. Once entangled within its grips, the confused individual isn’t given clues on how to escape. The best he/she can expect is a new awareness after much soul searching has been done. The challenge for each individual is to define the cause of his problem, make the necessary changes, and move on. In our story, there are several characters who have been seized by the Labyrinth. One of the main protagonists, Cara, is the widowed middle-aged Aunt of the bride. Her life has become stagnated and she longs to escape from its imprisonment. She searches for answers on how she may find the love and happiness she desires. Her pretty twenty-one year old niece identifies with her and fears that her marriage may inhibit her potential and opportunities in life. She projects her need to control her future onto the groom’s Father, Daddy Boccio, accusing him of being a control freak, unaware that he has his own demons to fight. Sometimes ‘fate’ will intervene and offer help to the unhappy individual. This help may manifest in many ways; it may appear as another person, an invitation, a kind thought, word or deed, and most importantly, a new awareness of self.