Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

An interesting book collecting excerpts of speeches, letters, news stories, and pamphlets about the woman who dubbed herself Peace Pilgrim in the 1950s and began walking across the country (and through Canada as well) to spread her personal gospel of peace, inner peace, and inner spirituality. Peace Pilgrim reads as a little crazy, but also inspirational in her own way. She committed herself to doing what she believed to be her calling and really went for it, for decades. She didn't want money or followers and refused opportunities for both. I'm glad someone put this book in my hands as I'd surely never have heard of it otherwise. ( )

Peace Pilgrim became famous by walking more than 25,000 miles across America over a period of nearly thirty years. "I am a pilgrim, a wanderer. I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until I am given shelter and fasting until I am given food." Within the first two pages, she describes her teenage attempts at defining God and the beginning of her spiritual journey that culminated in her peace walk.

CONTENTS:
1. Growing Up
2. The Spiritual Growing Up: My Steps Toward Inner Peace
3. The Pilgrimage
4. Reflections on the Pilgrimage
5. Living the Simple Life
6. Solving Life's Problems (On the Worry Habit, On the Anger Habit, On the Fear Habit, On Divine Protection, A Helpful Meditation)
7. Living the Spiritual Life (The Way of Prayer, On Fasting, On Healing, The Power of Thought, The Change Called Death, On Religion, The Way of Love)
8. The Way of Peace (Stories About Nonviolence, A Vision of Hope for Peace, More Thoughts on Peace and Disarmament, The Price of Peace)
9. Extensions of Pacifism
10. Children and the Way of Peace
11. Transforming Our Society (A World Language, On Democracy and Society, Community Peace Action)
12. The Way of a Pilgrim