[.uk] Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words (ISBN 0943734290)

Woman Sage:
She's got a beautiful message to pass along, one for our modern age. It's the same wisdom and insight of Buddha and Jesus as well as all the others. I gotta tell you though, this book is offered, free of charge, on the website.

This Book is a Blessing:
This is quite simply an amazing story told by a human being who lived by faith alone.

Live to give, not to get:
She claims to have the answer to life - what we all are searching for in our trekking through it - and it is quite simple: Live to give, not to get. Live a life of service, and you will find true happiness and contentment. This is the truth, and it is life changing. You may find this book for free on her website, or it can be delivered FREE of charge (the truth, she has said, cannot be bought): www.peacepilgrim.org <3

An Inspirational Journey:
"Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words" relays the powerful, uplifting message of the "silver-haired woman dressed in navy blue slacks and shirt" who devoted 28 years of her life praying for world peace in a very avant-garde fashion. She went by the name Peace Pilgrim, an alias she chose because, similar to a pilgrim, she was a "wanderer with a purpose:" world peace. Peace Pilgrim envisaged a world without war and suffering, and sought to make this vision a reality by walking over 25,000 miles, across each state, "as a prayer" to inspire others to pray and to promote world peace. Though details about Peace Pilgrim's life before the Pilgrimage are scarce in this book (as the compilers wanted to focus solely on presenting the pilgrimage in her own words), we get a glimpse of who Peace Pilgrim was before her pilgrimage and a strong image of who she was during those 28 years. In chapter 2, titled "Growing Up," we find that Pilgrim was raised on a small farm, and did not live a life of luxury, yet knew how to appreciate what she had including her closeness with nature. We can perceive that Pilgrim is quite humble and serene through the stories she shares throughout the book, but it is most apparent in the struggle she articulates at the end of chapter 2: "I was trained to be generous and unselfish and at the same time trained to believe that if I wanted to be successful I must get out there and grab more than my share of this world's goods...these conflicting philosophies confused me for some time..." This inner conflict culminates in a plea to God, "Please use me!" Fed up with having too much while other's had too little, Pilgrim started out on her 28-year journey without money, food, or transportation. She traveled by herself, and depended on the generosity of others for food, transportation, and housing. Pilgrim spoke at universities, appeared in newspapers and on television, delivered messages from the mayor to Tijuana Mexico to the mayor of New York City, and had many interesting encounters, including run-ins with the law who jailed her for vagrancy on several occasions. With her she carried three peace petitions: one for peace in Korea, the second for the implementation of a Peace Department in the US government, and the final one for world disarmament and reconstruction. Whether good or bad occurred on her pilgrimage, she used her experiences to inspire others to find inner peace and to allow that peace to pour outwardly onto the world through dialogue and giving. Pilgrim died in 1981 in a head on collision in route to her to an event in Indiana, yet her words live on in this book compiled by her close friends. The book comprises interviews, news articles, poetry, and other literature that serve as remnants of Pilgrim's message. Her friends hoped that through using Pilgrim's own words, readers could understand her mission as she understood it, and that "her words and spirit will continue to inspire." Indeed, we get a sense of Pilgrim's character and what her vision was as she explains to us exactly how she prepared for her pilgrimage through spiritual purification and discovering inner peace. While relaying her story, Pilgrim simultaneously teaches us how to find inner peace as well. This aspect of the book makes it both a memoir and an inspirational guide. Quotes from people who had met and were touched by Pilgrim's life are included at the end of the book, which makes the book more compelling because it shows the positive responses people had to her pilgrimage. Unfortunately, the book does not focus much on Pilgrim's life before her journey, nor does it tell us if her petitions were successful. But, as the compilers state, "these specifics...can be found elsewhere." We are not left with biographical facts, but a lesson on spiritual growth.

A great source of wisdom:
A good read and a handy source of both inspiration and wisdom. namaste!