Peace Pilgrim

Have you ever heard of Peace Pilgrim? I hadn’t until a reader sent me to a web site dedicated to her life and teachings.

Peace Pilgrim is the name of a woman who traveled throughout the United States, mostly on foot, for 28 years on a personal quest to find and spread peace.

The web site states:

From 1953 until 1981 this silver-haired woman, with cheerful obedience to her calling, was a server in the world. As she approached each country hamlet or sprawling city she carried to all she met a message of peace expressed so simply: When enough of us find inner peace, our institutions will become more peaceful and there will be no more occasion for war.

The chapter on the site titled, “Living the Simple Life,” caught my attention. Peace Pilgrim clearly understood that things don’t bring happiness. She explains how to keep only what one absolutely needs and how to discard the rest, and then exults in the freedom and happiness that come from simple living.

If you’ve ever felt burdened by things, or weighted by too many daily responsibilities, you’ll find some illuminating thoughts to ponder in her writing.