| Dear
Friends of Peace Pilgrim,
The rising sun sends light into the living room of
the Peace Pilgrim Center as I sit in silence to start the day. Bird
song is in the air. Male finches sing from the porch rail protecting
the nests filled with newly hatched babies. Blue jays and acorn woodpeckers
call from the oak and pine trees surrounding the house. Redwing blackbirds
at the nearby pond add their song to the chorus welcoming the morning.
A new day dawns.
I am Kathy Miller, a member of our non-profit Friends of Peace Pilgrim
board. I have been closely connected to the work of the Peace Pilgrim
Center since March of 1998. November 1st, 2000 I joined the full-time
volunteer team in Hemet. I was a part of the move to Somerset and have
lived on site with John and Ann Rush since April of 2001.
John and Ann, beloved founders of the Peace Pilgrim
Center, were feeling the weight of their years. Moving the Center to
a new location, after 18 years in Hemet, was the first step in preparing
for the transition that would occur when they felt it was time for them
to move on.
Many times, Ann spoke of the little blue house right next to their daughter,
Erica’s home in New Hampshire. John and Ann spoke lovingly of
Erica, her husband, Albert, their grown children and their organic garden.
Vegetarians can be quite passionate about an organic garden.
The last week of June this year, family members, daughter (Erica), son
(Heath) granddaughter (Joanna) and one year old great-granddaughter
(Isabel), gathered here to give love, support and the necessary physical
labor to pack the treasures of a lifetime. A few days later, friends
from far and near came to celebrate and honor John and Ann, their friendship
and their life’s work for peace and justice. On July 13th, they
moved on from California to New Hampshire.
Although they are no longer at the Peace Pilgrim Center, John and Ann
plan to stay involved with Friends of Peace Pilgrim through the newsletter
and special projects. You can greet them personally at (603) 542-9875
or write to John and Ann Rush, 261 Quaker City Road, Charlestown, NH
03603.
It was a great honor to work with John and Ann as they sent Peace Pilgrim’s
message around the world. They have been wonderful teachers sharing
their stories of Peace and telling me about their adventures throughout
the years.
Friends of Peace Pilgrim is a humble but wide-ranging organization serving
the cause of peace all over the world. You are all Friends of Peace
Pilgrim. Your letters, email and phone calls are inspiring. We can encourage
and uplift each other as we discover that inner peace is an idea whose
time has come.
Grace, Peace and Love, Kathy Miller
Lessons
from Peace Pilgrim (Back
to TOC)
By Cheryl Canfield
Having just returned from Hawaii, I am reminded of my first experience
in that tropical paradise. It was in the summer of 1980, when I went
with my beloved friend and mentor, Peace Pilgrim, and 16 others on an
inspirational and educational retreat. It was an extraordinary experience
of living simply, sleeping outdoors, fixing vegetarian meals over an
open fire, and enjoying the beauty of nature.
It wasn’t the first time I had joined Peace in such an adventure.
The previous summer I had had the great pleasure of traveling with her
in another group she led to Alaska. There we also traveled simply, touring
in cars, sleeping and cooking our meals outdoors, and listening to Peace
talk around the campfire each morning and evening. The memories are
like precious snapshots in my mind.
Her stories and her inspiration have had an enormous impact on my life.
Most especially, her courage and conviction were backed by her living
example. I remember getting up one early morning in a remote campground
in Alaska and heading for the rustic bathroom. When I got there the
entrance was blocked by a pack of wild dogs, who emitted low growls
as the hair on their backs stood up. I backed away and returned to the
security of the group. Peace saw me coming and said, “That was
quick!” I told her about the dogs. “Don’t be afraid,”
she said, and beckoned me to follow. She walked to the bathroom with
firm steps while I followed tentatively behind. When we got there Peace
looked at the dogs and pointed into the woods. “Go on,”
she commanded. “Be gone now!” and off the dogs went, tails
between their legs.
I never imagined that those extraordinary times with Peace, someone
so vital and alive and vibrant, would come to such an abrupt end. But
they did. And in time I realized that she had left behind a great gift.
It was the reminder to look within. “Don’t look to me. Look
to your own inner teacher,” she would say. I had understood intellectually,
but it wasn’t until she was gone that I really began to understand
this important lesson. She had helped me gain the courage to see life
through my own eyes, and to trust my inner voice.
This lesson has served me well, and never more so than when I was diagnosed
with advanced cancer eight years after Peace’s death. It was devastating
news. Doctors told me I might not live long enough to see the child
my daughter was pregnant with. They also told me that my only chance
for survival was a very radical surgery, so delicate that only a handful
of doctors were qualified to perform it. But a thought popped into my
awareness like a red neon light: If I had the surgery I would die on
the operating table. It came with such certainty that I opted to trust
it. It was the same kind of certainty I had heard Peace talk about.
The journey that followed was scary sometimes but it was also exhilarating.
I connected with something inside of me that was very strong. I knew
I might die. I also knew it wasn’t inevitable. The outcome was
in higher hands.
Peace’s death had taught me that nothing in this material world
can be taken for granted. Life is transient and even though we know
that, on some level the sudden imminent possibility of leaving the body
is shocking. How can this be happening? I had so much yet to learn and
so many stories to tell. I hoped I would have time. Fourteen years have
ensued since that diagnosis and my body is now healthy and strong. I’ve
learned so much and still there is so much more to learn. The stories
never end. Life is precious. I treasure the short time that my path
crossed Peace’s in this life and for all of the experiences that
have opened my eyes to the beauty around me.
 |
(Cheryl
Canfield is one of the compilers of Peace Pilgrim: Her
Life and Work in Her Own Words, and author of Peace Pilgrim’s
Wisdom and the recently published, Profound Healing: the Power of
Acceptance on the Path to Wellness, a book about Cheryl’s
stories that includes her meeting and experiences with Peace Pilgrim.)
|
A
Time of Change in Peace Pilgrim Stewardship
(Back to - TOC)
By Richard Polese - Secretary, Friends of Peace Pilgrim
A dedicated group of friends of Peace Pilgrim gathered again at the
Peace Pilgrim Center in June, a tradition and responsibility repeated
every year since Friends of Peace Pilgrim was formed in 1985. We came
to Somerset knowing that this was an especially important time for us,
the people who serve as directors of the Friends of Peace Pilgrim non-profit
organization. John and Ann were preparing to depart a few weeks later
for their new home in New Hampshire. We saw that many responsibilities
that had been largely theirs were about to pass to our collective hands.
We all gladly accept our roles as humble stewards of the activities
that continue Peace’s message, as well as stewards of the work
done by John and Ann over the past two decades.
Cheryl Canfield, one of the five compilers of the Peace Pilgrim book
and author of a guide to living with Peace’s wisdom, was chosen
as new president of Friends of Peace Pilgrim. Ann received our honor
as President Emeritus, in recognition of her special role over the past
two decades. Bruce Nichols became treasurer of our group a few months
earlier, having taken on a role ably carried by John for many years.
Looking for a way to continue Peace’s work in the world, the five
compilers of Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, had
come together in California eighteen years ago to create our small non-profit
group of helpers. The compilers (Cheryl Canfield, John and Ann, Andy
Zubko, and myself) became the board of directors, a requirement of California
law. Jeff Blom, a long-time volunteer at the Peace Pilgrim Center in
Hemet, replaced Andy on the board when Andy moved on to new activities.
Two years ago we decided to expand our group to seven, bringing in both
Kathy Miller and Bruce.
Cheryl first met Peace Pilgrim when Peace was hosted by the Theosophical
Society in Wheaton, Illinois where Cheryl was working in the mid-1970s.
She helped Peace with her “inspirational and educational tours”
of Alaska in 1979 and Hawaii in 1980. After Peace’s transition,
Cheryl joined with two other friends to organize the Prayer for Peace
Pilgrimage, a cross-country walk that left San Francisco on Easter Sunday
in 1982 and arrived in Washington DC six months later, where she and
other walkers held a vigil in front of the White House for 36 hours.
In following years, she led the programs for Peace Pilgrim retreats
on the Green River and Lake Powell in Utah. In 1996, Peace Pilgrim’s
Wisdom: A Very Simple Guide, Cheryl’s compilation of 365 of Peace
Pilgrim thoughts for use as a path of spiritual growth, was published
by Blue Dove Press and Ocean Tree Books. Cheryl recently authored Profound
Healing: The Power of Acceptance on the Path to Wellness. A wellness
and life counselor today, Cheryl says of our board, “I’m
very happy with the collective effort and the way we are all contributing
in Peace Pilgrim fashion.”
Bruce Nichols developed and maintains our now fully integrated Peace
Pilgrim website that can be viewed at <www.peacepilgrim.org>.
He also has been helping John and Kathy with technical and record-keeping
tasks. You may read more about his interesting life in this issue. Cheryl
lives in Groveland, in the Sierra foothills not far from Somerset. Bruce
lives in Shelton, Connecticut. Jeff is in San Diego where he operates
Blue Dove Press and the Blue Dove Foundation. I’m Richard Polese,
secretary for our group. I take the meeting notes and manage production
of our printed materials throughout the year. I live in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, where the Friends of Peace Pilgrim journey began and where the
Peace Pilgrim book was compiled. Kathy, of course, oversees daily activities
at the Peace Pilgrim Center in Somerset, including supervising volunteers
and handling inquiries and requests from all over the world.
Being a non-profit group helps our common mission in several ways, including
reduced rate postal service and providing for tax-deductible contributions.
Friends of Peace Pilgrim exists for the following purposes, according
to our bylaws: “to produce and send out to those who ask, books,
pamphlets and tapes conveying the message of Peace Pilgrim; to offer
talks about Peace Pilgrim and show videos of her speaking; to operate
a Peace Pilgrim Center where visitors may come to study her message;
and to explore other ways (such as writing articles and facilitating
the making of a film) of spreading her message.” The board members
cooperate on the preparation of the newsletter and make decisions concerning
the books and media we offer and the operation of the Center.
In newsletters to come, you will learn more about our board people and
their interesting lives of service. As Peace Pilgrim believed, we are
all called to serve the cause of peace and truth in unique ways. While
everyone must listen to his or her own “still, small voice within,”
we also receive inspiration and encouragement from one another, and
always from you!
On
the Trail of Peace:
(Back to Table of Contents - TOC)
Notes from the Appalachian Trail
By
Bruce Nichols – Peace Pilgrim webmaster
“From
May to October of 1952, before the pilgrimage, I walked the 2,000
miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine…”
(Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Works in Her Own Words, page 54.)
Bruce Nichols
|
On
May 1 of 2002, almost 50 years to the day since Peace Pilgrim started
her historic Appalachian Trail walk, I hiked the seven miles of
trail from Amicalola Falls State Park to the top of Springer Mountain
in Georgia to begin my own journey on the AT. I would also finish
in October and walk the trail in much the same fashion, hiking north
to Harpers Ferry then jumping to Mt. Katahdin in Maine to complete
my journey of 2,168 miles by walking south back to West Virginia.
Many people do not know that Peace Pilgrim, in 1952, the year before
beginning her pilgrimage, became the first woman to walk the entire
Appalachian Trail in one season. Only four years before, in 1948,
Earl Shaffer became the first person ever to walk the trail in a
single year. |
At
the start of my walk I carried a few Steps booklets to share and a copy
of the Peace Pilgrim book that was given away early in the walk. I also
carried a supply of small foil wrappers from Hershey’s chocolates
which I folded into origami cranes and pasted into trail registers.
Around the delicate little birds I would write, “May Peace Prevail
on the Appalachian Trail.” My trail name became “Bird Man”
and folding and sharing those bright little messengers of peace became
an important part of my trail experience.
Early in the walk I thought I would focus a lot on Peace Pilgrim and
her message but quickly discovered that, as much as I would honor Peace
on my journey and as often as I would feel her presence along the trail,
it was really “my own walk” that I was doing and not just
a repeat of hers. Peace Pilgrim always encouraged people to find their
own place in the scheme of things and I realized the journey I was making
had to be my own. And it certainly was.
The trail became not only a journey through space and time but also
a deeply spiritual journey. Without having any preliminary intention,
I found myself beginning a wonderful spiritual practice that became
a daily fixture as I started down the trail in the early morning. For
anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half I walked peacefully
and receptively. The experience was spontaneous and almost organic and
included my walking, prayer, singing, enjoying the great beauty and
silence of the wilderness, breathing, and much more. Surrounded by the
beauties of nature and settled into a more human pace of about two miles
per hour, I experienced great peace and joy as I journeyed.
There are two
short Peace Pilgrim related stories I’d like to share:
While hiking in central Virginia, I discovered a Peace Pilgrim book
left in a shelter by another hiker. I passed this along to a trail friend
who had been moving north at about the same pace I had. Two months later
I discovered the same book deposited in another shelter in Pennsylvania
where my friend had left it when he finished reading. He had written
some comments about Peace’s profound message and the references
to the trail that she makes on page 54. Others had also penned comments
both in the book and in the trail register about the incredibly inspiring
story of the first woman to walk the entire AT in one season.
My last night on the trail was spent in an old log lean-to about 15
miles north of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It had been built in the
early 1940’s and had sheltered hikers for most of the trail’s
existence. I had taken almost five million steps since leaving Springer
Mountain in Georgia; many along the same old wilderness paths that Peace
had walked 50 years before. As I lay on the warped and weathered boards
surrounded by the damp cool darkness of a rainy October night, I felt
very strongly that Peace Pilgrim had also stopped at this location while
on the trail in 1952. I was filled with an incredible sense of gratitude
for the great gifts that the Appalachian Trail had given me, for the
deep influence and inspiration that Peace has brought into my life,
and for her enduring legacy – a gift to us all.
There are more experiences and insights from the trail than I could
possibly share in this newsletter. My journals and some photographs
can be found at this web address: <www.shinealight.com/trail/>.
“If
you are free, I recommend a hiking trip on a wilderness footpath.
How inspiring it is to walk all day in the sunshine and sleep all
night under the stars. What a wonderful experience in simple, natural
living. …You soon put material things in their proper place,
realizing that they are there for use, but relinquishing them when
they are not useful. You soon experience and learn to appreciate the
great freedom of simplicity.”
(Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Works in Her Own Words, page 54.)
More information
on Peace Pilgrim’s 1952 Appalachian Trail Hike can be found on
the Peace Pilgrim website at: <www.peacepilgrim.org/ap_trail.htm>.
New
Offerings (Back
to TOC)
Steps in
Arabic and Hebrew
Hebrew Arabic
|
It is a crucial
time for peacemaking in the Holy Land between the war-weary Israelis
and Palestinians. The courageous people working for peace in that
area need to know that Peace's Steps Toward Inner Peace in Arabic
and in Hebrew are available now and in quantity! The Arabic Steps
is 48 pages and the Hebrew edition is 32 pages, but they contain
the same text as the original English language editions. Both measure
3-1/2 by 6, the same as the familiar English edition, and can be
easily packaged and mailed in a standard envelope. Friends of Peace
Pilgrim produced these editions. Both are in stock here and can
be ordered through the Peace Pilgrim Center. |
Peace Pilgrim’s
Wisdom: A Very Simple Guide
Compiled by Cheryl Canfield
 |
Cheryl’s
book is now available through Friends of Peace Pilgrim. The book
contains 365 of Peace’s thoughts – one for every day
of the year – with space provided for your own insights. Designed
to help you integrate simple spiritual truths into your own life,
Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom is a powerful companion for spiritual
growth. |
“Steps
Toward Inner Peace” Audio
Over the past
twenty years we have sent out almost one and a half million of the
little Steps booklets. Now, for the first time, it is available as
a “stand alone” audio. Narrated by Ann Rush, this spiritual
classic is the transcript of a radio talk Peace Pilgrim gave in Los
Angeles. She would often share the booklet with her hosts as she traveled
the country during her pilgrimage. She relates her own steps toward
inner peace and gives ideas about developing personal inner peace
and working toward peace in the world. Order from the Friends of Peace
Pilgrim Center.
Letters
(Back to TOC)
FROM
A PRISONER
Thanks so much for continuing to see that Peace’s book stays
circulating. The impact it has had on me and others is profound. I’m
finishing up a three-year prison term and requested a copy almost
a year ago. After reading it, I began passing it on to other men that
were on their own paths to healing. I finally gave it to my cellmate
and he’s taking it with him to the streets. Who knows how many
other souls will see it?
In the last two years I have had the opportunity to read countless
spiritual, philosophical, and psychological books as well as the Bible.
Peace’s practical approach to inner peace and service was one
of my most prized publications. Can you please send me another copy
with a few Steps Toward Inner Peace so I can have a copy? In the interest
of brevity, I’ll close, but I could prattle on singing the praises
of her life’s work. Keep up the good work!
God bless you all. J.C.E.
*****
FROM
RUSSIA
I feel so deeply overjoyed every time I receive a newsletter from
you. Words fail me miserably to convey my joy at knowing that so many
people worldwide are conscientiously trying to fortify and strengthen
one another, to help and lift one another, to give encouragement and
build faith, to strengthen relationships, to revitalize neighborhoods,
to unify nations and even to bring peace to a troubled world.
I am so ever grateful to you for having so drastically changed my
life for the better, making it meaningful, keeping it bright and filled
with beautiful things. As much as opportunity permits I share this
marvelous message of peace with people in conversation, through mail,
and via internet. This is a rich and rewarding correspondence to me,
wherein I am blessed to have found my special friends who are a wonderful
part of my life. I have learnt that being different as we may be,
but in the heart –where it really counts – we are a lot
alike.
Thank you so much for the peace you bring in our hearts and homes.
Thank you for that influence for good you have in this world. Thank
you for encouragement and reaching out to all mankind.
Sincerely yours, Dima Ianov
142116, MO, Podolsk RTS
Pokrovskaya St. 5-1 Russia
Email - ianovdima@hotmail.com
And Email
Dear Friends,
I want to warmly thank you for publishing free of charge on your Internet
site Peace Pilgrim's book, Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her
Own Words, which I have printed and read daily. It is a spiritual
road map that has brought great blessing and direction to my life.
Thank you for your work in sharing Peace Pilgrim's life with the world.
You site is visually and spiritually very beautiful.
Sincerely, Margaret Tlustos
*****
Thankyou, Thankyou,
Thankyou, Thankyou, ...
Thank you for holding up the Peace Pilgrim torch long enough for me
to find it! I have been stumbling along the wandering path towards
inner peace and enlightenment for many years and was simply awestruck
when I happened to encounter your www.peacepilgrim.org web site (thanks
to a link from www.eatveg.com). WOW! A real-life Buddha in my lifetime!
As I read the online version of her message that you have selflessly
provided (first Steps then Her Life and Work), each line rang true
as a bell in my mind and my heart. I was brought to tears of joy as
I realized that I had finally found a pure, unadulterated source of
the truth and the way to inner Peace and Love! I sure wish that I
could have met her in person, but I am heartened (and literally jumping
for joy!) that her message was recorded verbatim and is being lovingly
distributed by y'all. Right now I wish to study her message as deeply
as possible (and pass on her message to my close friends and relatives).
Once again, THANK YOU!
Jeff Roberson, Utah
We love hearing from friends of Peace Pilgrim all over the world. Write
to us at:
Friends of Peace Pilgrim
7350 Dorado Canyon Road
Somerset, CA, 95684 USA
Email – friends@peacepilgrim.org
| Needed: Volunteer
with Volkswagen skills to make our “Spirit of Peace”
1977 VW van again roadworthy. It stalls and needs to be made ready
for smog inspection, but otherwise is in very good condition--with
a fine history serving the cause of peace! It is at the Center in
Somerset. |
Offerings
from Friends of Peace Pilgrim (Back
to TOC)
Dear Friends of
Peace Pilgrim: Here are the publications we offer. Since many inquire
about sending donations, we are listing the approximate cost for materials
and postage after each item. This does not include our operating expenses.
Friends of Peace Pilgrim is an all volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Donations and bequests are welcomed and tax-deductible to the full extent
of the law. All money goes directly to our work, helping us to continue
producing and distributing materials to anyone including those who choose
not to make donations.
PUBLICATIONS
PEACE PILGRIM: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words (Standard Edition),
224 pages. Compiled by five of her friends after her transition in
1981. Our printing and postage costs: $3 for one book. $2.25 for each
additional book. Full Carton (currently 40 books) $80.
PEACE PILGRIM (Compact Edition), 224 pages. This book is the same
as the Standard Edition except it is smaller. Our costs: $2.25 for
one book, $1.50 for each additional book. Full Carton (currently 48
books) $60.
PEREGRINA DE PAZ: Su Vida Y Obra en Sus Propias Palabras, 216 pages.
(Spanish edition of the Peace Pilgrim book) Our costs: $3.50 for one
book, $3 for each additional book.
STEPS TOWARD INNER PEACE, 32 pages. Peace Pilgrim relates her own
steps toward inner peace and gives ideas about working for world peace.
Our costs: 1-4 copies, 50 cents each. Each additional copy, 30 cents.
Box of 100, $27. Box of 500, $125.
(Steps Toward Inner Peace is also available from the Center in Spanish,
Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew. Please call or write for further information.)
PEACE PILGRIM’S WISDOM: A Very Simple Guide by Cheryl Canfield,
224 pages. Includes 365 quotes from Peace Pilgrim – one for
every day – and a study guide by Cheryl offering suggestions
to help integrate these simple spiritual truths into your life. Our
costs: $5 each.
PEACE PILGRIM, An Extraordinary Life by Ann Rush, 16 pages. Peace
Pilgrim’s life is traced from her ordinary beginnings through
a transformation to a life of unusual commitment. Our costs: $1.50
each.
THE PEACE PILGRIM COLORING BOOK. 26 large pages by our two volunteers,
Barbara Werner and Gary Guthrie. Our costs: $3 each.
*****
AUDIO
CASSETTES
CAMPBELL HOUSE, 1959 (90 minutes). A talk that is representative of
her message. It also has a brief radio interview the day before she
died. Our duplicating and postage costs: $3 each.
SALT LAKE CITY, 1955 (60 minutes). Recorded two years after her pilgrimage
began. A gentle talk to a small group in a friend’s home. Another
friend, Sue Millard, sings a song composed by Peace Pilgrim. Our costs:
$3 each.
DALLAS CHURCHES, 1979 (60 minutes). Two talks which are representative
of her vigor, joy, and audience rapport. It also has a song composed
by Peace Pilgrim, sung by Don Wittig, and Peace Pilgrim’s energizing
song, “The Fountain of Love.” Our costs: $3 each.
PEACE PILGRIM’S SPIRITUAL GROWTH (67 minutes). The sound track
of the first hour of the “Speaking to a College Class”
video (described under Videos Cassetts). At the end of Side B, Peace
Pilgrim relates one of her prison experiences. Our costs: $3 each.
STEPS TOWARD INNER PEACE. Available for the first time as a separate
audio tape! Narrated by Ann Rush. Our costs $3 each
PEACE PILGRIM BOOK AND STEPS ALBUM. Eight audio cassette series narrated
by Ann Rush. Our costs: $18.
*****
VIDEO
CASSETTES ABOUT PEACE PILGRIM
INTERVIEWS OF PEACE PILGRIM (62 minutes). Includes a short TV program,
from PM Magazine, an interview for FUSION on WIFR-TV in Rockford,
Illinois, and a 30-minute interview conducted at Pensacola Junior
College in Florida. Our costs: $6 each.
ANSWERING QUESTIONS (55 minutes). Peace Pilgrim in an interesting
question and answer session with students in Applied Psychology at
the University of Georgia, 1977. Our costs: $6 each.
SPEAKING TO A COLLEGE CLASS (2 hours). Peace Pilgrim speaking at California
State University in Los Angeles. A good tape for those who want to
make a more in-depth study of Peace Pilgrim's message. Our costs:
$8 each.
SPECIAL 30 MINUTE VIDEO. Highlights of other videos selected for showing
to new audiences. Peace Pilgrim tells a few of her most interesting
experiences. Our costs: $5 each.
THE SPIRIT OF PEACE. (71 minute documentary). Interviews of those
who knew Peace Pilgrim and those who were inspired by her message.
Our costs: $8 each.
PEACE PILGRIM: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk (approximately
one hour). A recent professional quality documentary film on video,
about Peace Pilgrim. Includes much new historical footage and important
new interviews. Our costs: $8 each.
PAL SYSTEM. All videos are available in the PAL system, which is compatible
with European television. Our duplicating and postage costs:
62 minute and 55 minute videos $11; two hour video $12; 30-minute
video $10; documentaries S10.
*****
BACK ISSUES
OF OUR NEWSLETTER. Printing and postage costs per issue, 50 cents.
Inquire about availability.
Send Requests to: Friends of Peace Pilgrim, 7350 Dorado Canyon Road,
Somerset, CA 95684, USA
Or call (530) 620-0333 or Email: friends@peacepilgrim.org
50 Years Ago - August 1953 (Back
to TOC)
MYSTERY
WOMAN
Nameless ‘Peace pilgrim’ Walking Toward Detroit |
KALAMAZOO, Aug, 26. -- (UP) -- An anonymous lady
“peace pilgrim,” who plans to wander the earth afoot
“until mankind learns the way to peace” was headed for
Detroit today.
The graying, middle-aged woman, who refused to
say who she was or from whence she came, is walking to New York
from Los Angeles.
She started her trip last New Year’s Day, and carries neither
baggage, blankets nor food. She said she “walks until given
shelter, fasts until given food.”
Painted on her tunic are the words “Peace
Pilgrim” and “walking from coast to coast for peace.”
“Who I am is unimportant,” she said.
“Just call me peace pilgrim. I have no family. Until mankind
learns the way to peace I shall remain a wanderer on the face of
the earth.”
The slim, 115-pound woman accepts no rides, “but
anyone interested in my cause may walk with me,” she said.
She averages 25 miles a day and plans to be in
New York by Christmas, after a stop in Washington to leave a petition
at the White House calling for a world peace department.
She has encountered no trouble so far in her 5,000
mile hike.
“I have no fear. I have discovered that
if you love everyone, you are in no danger. If you smile, you get
a smile in return.” |
AREN'T
PEOPLE GOOD… (Back
to TOC)
John and Ann Rush
Fall 2002 |
…said Peace Pilgrim when telling about the
kindness of people she met on her pilgrimage. Many good people
have helped us move to New Hampshire. To list them would take
a lot of space. Our daughter and son-in-law invited us to move
into a small house on their property near their home. They continue
to help us get settled.
We have experienced many good people during the last 20 years
who have helped us spread Peace Pilgrim's message. Now is the
time to let others take over the work we have been doing.
We feel a certain sadness in leaving the work we have been involved
with for the last 20 years. We now need to give more attention
to our health. The volunteers at the Center are doing good work
with the help of the board members.
It has been a joy to spread Peace Pilgrim's message. We welcome
visitors to our new home at:
John and Ann Rush
261 Quaker City Road
Charlestown, NH 03603
Phone (603) 542-9875
Email – johnrush85@yahoo.com
|
Peace Pilgrim Center in Somerset, California USA
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also has transcripts of all our audios, videos, and newsletters written
by Peace Pilgrim during her 28 1/2-year pilgrimage.
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