We receive news from Helene Young, Peace Pilgrim sister who faithfully forwarded Peace's mail to her all over the country for 28 years. She is telling us that Marta Daniels prepared an essay (of about 1100 words) about Peace Pilgrim that will appear in the Encyclopaedia of Notable American Women, Volume V, published by the Harvard University Press. A three-page biographical checklist will be included in the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study's background information files.

Peace Pilgrim was recorded in 1952 as the first woman to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one season, was recommended for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1981 (which is awardable only to the living), was nominated for the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2003 and a life size bronze statue was placed at the United Nations University for Peace, Colon, Costa Rica in November 2000 for “life’s work dedicated to world peace.”

As part of her background review, Marta found inspiring quotes of people sharing the core of their experience with Peace Pilgrim:

Sabian Corner   (index)

Our sharing is the result of teamwork between Gene Johnson inTexas, Mike Elliot in Illinois, Dan Reynolds in Ohio and Mayte Picco-Kline in Pennsylvania – United States.

“Let the Golden Light expand, and permeate all the land. Lifting high a clearer vision of humanity's grand mission to establish peace on Earth and give freedom new birth.” *****
“After sitting briefly came alive the awareness of a deep Silence that can surround each 'thought', allowing it to transmute into a facet of the ONE INTELIGENCE. This is the 'direct knowing' of intuition, and this is also the road to peace.” *****

	“At the CORE OF LIFE and ALL REALITY is PEACE - EVERLASTING that we can INDIVIDUALLY EVOKE and CARRY IN OUR HEARTS through any and all events ON EARTH if WE CHOOSE to BE PEACE-MAKERS!”
***** In the stillness of our Meditation LOVE, PEACE and HOPE arise. Be still and know that love, peace and hope are here! Be still and know hope, peace and love Be still and know Be still Be. Peace. Peace. Peace.

Finding our Right Work in Life    (index)

From my perspective, each one of us comes into this world with a special calling or role to play. When we don’t know what that is we can turn to our inner guidance – the voice of our personal truth and wisdom within. Meditation, journaling or receptive silence can be a link to that inner guidance.

A calling is a summons that comes from the highest part of ourselves.

Cheryl Canfield
Wellness Counselor

What do I have to help them?    (index)

Hunter "Patch" Adams, known as "the doctor of laughter", visited Argentina to offer hospitals his "humor therapy". This doctor uses medicine as a vehicle for social change and in one of his interviews, shared the following:
When I was a medical student and in the hospital emergency room, a boy entered who had died in an accident. I was with the doctors when they informed the boy’s family and I noticed that at no time did they mention the word love or the word compassion, they never said anything that signified a relation between people, only information and procedures.

I could imitate my professors and say to the family: "the boy will be taken to the morgue and perhaps you will need a prescription for a tranquilizer to help you sleep". That is, ignore the fact completely that they had lost their son...
They were sobbing and I wanted to help them, but I asked myself, what might I say to help them? Can I have compassion in my eyes? I can have a face that is saying something to them! And what else do I have? What are the words that I must say?

Then I went for the easiest part. The family was Christian; I am not. I said to them: do you mind if we pray? They were astonished to hear a doctor say this. I knelt down, joined hands and appealed with all the sincerity and love I felt, remaining next to them a good while.

When we worry about the vulnerability of others instead of ourselves, we become less vulnerable. If we dedicate our heart and soul to help others, we don’t have much time left to worry about our own fears and deficiencies. By helping someone else we help ourselves.

Shared by Guillermo Calderón
México, D.F.

Artistic Expressions      (index)

Dreaming on a Grand Scale Everyone contains a flame of love to be divided here, diffusing out. The greater light is human love. Our bodies know this when we dream about this one, that one--it is all one. All one. All One. And the smile we generate displays the pearls of wisdom in this firmament of mud. The sun shines, percolating through our blood. It swirls the planets round in circles of delight. And when we face the face of our desire and mourn, and groan over the bite, we are denying life-sustaining fire. Look into the mirror. What you see is one sweet morsel of eternity. By Linda M. Stewart Louisiana, USA *****

contributed by Bob Kline

"To be whole is more than to walk, it is to walk knowing where one wants to go. In the end, when a man knows where he is going, the world provides a path." Zoraida Consuegra - Florida, United States Inner Unity is true and is beyond the human reach to change it. SFC - Sta. Rosa de Calamuchita, Argentina To love a human being is to move beyond ones individuality; it is to perceive and value that person as a example of the whole of humanity, as an expression of Mankind, a real manifestation of the transcending and intangible essence called "human being." Enviado por Guillermo Calderón -México, D.F.

Initiatives of our Circle of Friends

Many people in our circle of friends feel inspired to share the Peace Pilgrim messages with those who are receptive. Here we share some of these activities.

The contribution we’ve made from our Community has been and continues to be the spreading of Enlace, and our prayers accompany all those that work for a world at peace. (Sr. Antonio - Sta. Rosa de Calamuchita, Argentina)

*****

Thinking about how to collaborate with worldwide peace, I now am actively giving away the book: "Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work", and because of this, people have asked for your address to be able to share the work of others in the Argentine educational system. One example deals with a supervisor of a state’s schools who began her work in 1994 and decided to work for peace in collaboration withUNICEF. Among other activities, they have displayed allegorical floats of children in a wine festival and organized workshops in different areas to share the value of peace with children and teachers. (Miriam Rodríguez, Argentina)

*****

The workshop was a wonderful time of sharing. I decided to ask if anyone would like to have a copy of the Peace Pilgrim book in Spanish and the Steps booklet, and I was astounded by the response. I gave away every single copy of the book I had left from the project in Spanish--which was about 22 copies! People began reading it right away and the next day they had lots of wonderful, positive comments to make about what they'd read. I think, for some of these women, it might perhaps be the only book they own, and some of them don't read very well. They treasured this gift and expressed great appreciation. (Mary Newswanger - Monteverde, Costa Rica)

*****

I see the way Peace’s book can be sold in my community, I organize meetings to pray for peace and would like to form study and peace action groups. As a member of the Association "Dona Major" we formed another group called "Friends of Peace", who after considering the words of Peace Pilgrim (*) have decided to gather signatures with the intention to ask for the creation of a Ministry of Peace that can deal with pacifist subjects for the good of humanity.” (Amparo Vila Pérez - Valencia, Spain)

(*) Note: One of Peace Pilgrim’s requests when she started her pilgrimage in 1953 and gathered signatures during her first walk, giving them to the White House and to the United Nations, was: "We request a Department of Peace be established, with a Secretary of Peace that accepts these principles - and that all conflicts in the contry and abroad be sent to this Peace Department.”

Contemplating...     (index)

Welcome   (index)