“Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which flows into your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and to perfect contentment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

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let us now join with and embody the wisdom of the great sage, Howard Zinn…

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“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something, If we remember those times and places — and there are so many — where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however a small way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.“

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in concert with the Season for Nonviolence which begins today on the anniversary of Gandhi’s assassination and ends 64 days later on April 4th, the anniversary of King’s assassination,today the pilgrimage begins a season of peace…

let us invoke the beloved peace prayer of St Francis to begin this saunter – this walk on holy ground for this season of peace…

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“….. make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.”

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may we all begin and end each day with a prayer for peace…  when saying goodbye to people, may we say “May Peace Prevail on Earth…”  may we create space in our lives dedicated to praying for, meditating, singing, dancing, contemplating  and being peace… in this way, creating a cosmos of beauty all around…

“…help me to live this day quietly, peacefully… to lean upon thy great strength trustfully, restfully… to wait for the unfolding of thy will patiently, serenely… to meet others peacefully, joyously…”