Winding down the path to success

   Teara Collins can finally unwind. After two years of jumping through hoops, her labyrinth at Simpsonwood Conference Center is complete.
   Two summers ago, Teara was inspired by a labyrinth-a circular walking path used for prayer and meditation-that she saw while on a mission trip in Alaska. She sketched an original labyrinth design-still circular, but straying a little from the symmetry of traditional patterns- and showed it to her art teacher, Rise Spearman, at Meadowcreek High School. While Spearman was helping Teara assemble a portfolio for the Governors Honors Program for the summer of 2002, she suggested she include the labyrinth design. But what started as a mere art project on paper unraveled to become Gwinnett County's second outdoor labyrinth. (The first was completed earlier this year at Gwinnett Medical Center.)
   Making the sketch a reality was a direct response to 9-11.
   "On 9-11 the power went out at Meadowcreek and it was a real time of reflection," said Teara. "I thought about the theme of our youth group at church -Be still and know that I am God-and wanted to create a place where people in the community could feel stillness."
   Her first step was to call Vulcan Materials Company, Meadowcreek's business partner and sponsor of their art program. The next thing she knew, at age 15, she was meeting with their board of directors.
   "They advised me on the materials that would work well and encouraged me all the way," said Teara. "I wanted to build it in a county park and Cindy Diskin at Vulcan coached me on how to present myself to all the boards and administrators I would have to meet with."
   The next step was with the county. After countless meeting and presentations, her plan almost went through, but with the passage of the last tree ordinance, the project was no longer possible. So it was back to square one.
   At this point, Candy Wynn, a lady at her church with an interest in exploring prayer possibilities stepped forward and paved the way for Teara to build her labyrinth at Simpsonwood. Once more, Teara had to stand before executive boards to lay groundwork for her projected "ground work." 
   "Ms. Spearman got her through it," said Teara's mother, Tamlyn Collins, Associate Pastor at Duluth First United Methodist Church. "There were so many hoops to jump through, but Ms. Spearman kept encouraging her."
   Vulcan also remains a rock of support. "They still e-mail me asking how it's coming." 
   Simpsonwood's Outreach Director Nanci Hicks comes full circle with her support. "Teara's very articulate and obviously had done lots of research. We welcome the public to come walk the labyrinth." ( www.simpsonwood.org  )
   Some say a labyrinth is a metaphor for life. With all the red tape she wound her way through to get her labyrinth on the ground, I'd say at least in Teara's case, that might be true. 

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