PEACE

At a time in history when we think the world could not be in worse chaos, we find we are. The pure hate and egoism that predominates in the U.S. is staggering. I am positive that we are all feeling this on some level. Certainly, most of us are praying (or however we do it!) for peace. The troublesome part of that is that the issues are so raw and staggering, it all feels so enormous. And it is! However, we can, every one of us, in our own way, be ambassadors for that peace that we so long for. We can begin at our center and from there to everyone and everything we touch. It seems small compared to the enormity of evil, but it is a step that we can take. I have always found this woman a deep inspiration and I probably have shared her in the past, but today seems like a good day to do it again. 

I wish you all love. Reach out and spread that love. Hold your family and friends close. I wish you peace. Let’s all be a tiny part of that peace and watch it spread. We won’t walk 25,000 for peace, but we can walk it daily, being peace pilgrims in our own lives. Blessings. 

“In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful. Among mature people war would not be a problem – it would be impossible. In their immaturity people want, at the same time, peace and the things which make war. However, people can mature just as children grow up. Yes, our institutions and our leaders reflect our immaturity, but as we mature we will elect better leaders and set up better institutions. It always comes back to the thing so many of us wish to avoid: working to improve ourselves.”

— Peace Pilgrim

Mildred Lisette Norman was born in 1908, on a poultry farm in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. She was the eldest of three children. The Norman family was poor but greatly admired by their community. Mildred’s mother, Josephine, was a tailor and her father Ernst, a carpenter. Their ancestors were immigrants who settled in this part of New Jersey escaping German in 1855.Germany was experiencing a period of political reaction following the failed 1848-49 revolutions.

Mildred’s life style changed significantly when she was 25 years old. She eloped with Stanley Ryder and the couple moved to Philadelphia. They divorced after thirteen years of marriage. She became a vegetarian, saying she just could not kill any living creature. Mildred believed it was unethical, and eating meat was poisonous for her body. She lived on a diet of fruits, nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and dairy. 

Following what she called “a long period of meditation,” she experienced a “spiritual awakening.” This resulted from what she believed was a mystical experience of the “creators love. It was during this time she began her walking journey for peace, spanning almost three decades. It began on January 1, 1953, in Pasadena, California. This was the period of the Korean War. Peace Pilgrim walked for 28 years with only the clothes on her back and the few possessions she carried in the pockets of her blue tunic that read, Peace Pilgrim on the front and “25,000 miles on foot for peace” on the back, which she exceeded by many miles, and was the first woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. She was a frequent speaker at universities, churches, and radio and television. She had no organizational backing, carried no money, and never asked for food or shelter. Her vow when she began the journey in 1953, was to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, waling until given shelter and fasting until given food.” Peace Pilgrim accomplished this until July 7, 1981, when she was on her way to a speaking engagement in Indiana, and was killed in an automobile accident. She was 73 years old. This silver haired old woman touched many thousands of lives. 

Friends of Peace Pilgrim is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to making information about the life and message of Peace Pilgrim available freely to all who ask. Since 1983, they have published and distributed over 400,000 copies of the book, Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, and over 1.5 million copies of the booklet, Steps Toward Inner Peace. Books and booklets have been sent to over 100 countries. The book has been translated into 12 languages and the booklet into over 20 languages.

“when enough of us find inner peace, our institutions will become peaceful and there will be no more occasion for war.”