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Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

From 1953 to 1981 a silver haired woman calling herself only "Peace Pilgrim" walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." In the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world:

"This is the way of peace: overcome evil with good,

and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."

Here we have excerpted some of the material from her book, "Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words", but for more information on this remarkable woman, please visit the website devoted to information about her.

Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

Introduction

Peace Pilgrim had an impact on people as she walked joyfully across the country that will never be adequately expressed. She awakened and inspired many thousands during her twenty-eight year pilgrimage for peace. Those she touched in a personal way carry very special memories--talking, laughing, walking together; listening to pilgrimage stories over the dinner table or while driving her to a speaking engagement; waving goodbyes as she quickly departed for her next destination.

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.

Following her death in 1981, a number of her friends from throughout the country gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to remember her and share our experiences of her. A small group stayed on to work on the book project, an idea which had been in our hearts individually for some time. We have attempted in this book to present Peace Pilgrim's extraordinary life and teachings in their purest form--her own words. They were assembled from her little booklet, Steps Toward Inner Peace, her nineteen Peace Pilgrim's Progress newsletters, private conversations, excerpts from her correspondence and talks taped by many individuals over the years. Other valuable resources were the thousands of newspaper articles and other printed material in the Peace Pilgrim Collection of the Swarthmore College Peace Library.

Although the words are her own, this book was not written by her as an autobiography. Some material was transcribed verbatim from tapes, which gives certain passages a spoken rather than a written quality. We wish she had written her own book. People often asked if she would write her own story, and more than once she answered, "I have really written enough material for a book—it's just not in book form."

Putting it into book form has been our job.

Though her basic message never changed, variety of detail and experience color each of her communications. You may find several of her concise statements of principles or aphorisms repeated, but usually in a new context.

The simple yet profound message of Peace Pilgrim's life and words is urgently needed in humankind's search for peace. She has given us renewed hope in the future of this world—hope that enough might gain inner peace to make world peace possible. She has given us an example of a person who lived in inner peace and was filled with a boundless energy that grew rather than diminished with age.

Robert Steele wrote in the Indian journal Gandhi Marg: "Peace Pilgrim speaks with astonishing authority and confidence; she reminds one of the spokesmen of God of biblical times. However, her utterances do not sound like a fanatic or dogmatist. Instead, they sound like a deeply sincere and devoted human being who has been linked to a wise and ineffable vision..."

Known from coast to coast simply as Peace Pilgrim, it was her wish to stress "the message and not the messenger." She never told details of her life that she considered unimportant, such as her original name, age, and birth place. Since this book is about her pilgrimage in her own words, we have decided not to include these specifics, which can be found elsewhere.

"I never want people to remember me except in connection with peace," she said. To those of us who knew her well and saw her over a number of years she will always remain the serene, warm-hearted Peace Pilgrim—full of humor, vitality and the joy of living.

Born on a small farm in the East in the early part of the century, she grew from modest roots and, like many people, gradually acquired money and things. When she realized this self-centered life had become meaningless, and worldly goods burdens to her rather than blessings, she walked all one night through the woods until she felt "a complete willingness, without any reservations, to give my life to God and service."

She gradually and methodically adopted a life of voluntary simplicity. She began what was to be a fifteen-year period of preparation, not knowing just what it was she was preparing for. She did volunteer work for peace groups and also worked with people who had physical, emotional and mental problems.

During this 'preparation period' and in the midst of many spiritual hills and valleys, she found inner peace—and her calling.

Her pilgrimage for peace began on the morning of January 1, 1953. She vowed "to remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace." Peace Pilgrim walked alone and penniless and with no organizational backing. She walked "as a prayer" and as a chance to inspire others to pray and work for peace. She wore navy blue shirt and slacks, and a short tunic with pockets all around the bottom in which she carried her only worldly possessions: a comb, a folding toothbrush, a ballpoint pen, copies of her message and her current correspondence.

Page Two of the Introduction to "Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Works in Her Own Words"