Long Hollow

(Click the image to learn about Blog Blast for Peace)

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

"Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away."

~Robert Fulghum

"Peace is costly but it is worth the expense."

~African proverb

"Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth; Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust; Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace; Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe."

~Satish Kumar

Each Sunday at Mass, we turn to our neighbors, shake their hands, and say

"Peace be with you."

Immediately I feel a wave of energy; I imagine it flowing out into the world,

a positive force blasting away negative. 

Just as I join hands with my neighbors on Sundays,

today I am joining bloggers across the globe.

to speak on one subject

in one voice

for one day.

Peace.

Dona Nobis Pacem.

(Grant us Peace.)

 

Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss?

~ Cat Stevens, Peace Train 

"We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."

~Thomas Merton

"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace."

~John Lennon

There are so, so many quotes about Peace…and all of them ring true. So many voices sounding off for Peace, from all religions and philosophies, all around the globe…yet wars still rage around the world…Why?

Maybe it's because I grew up watching the Viet Nam War played out on television and in movies…watching the protests…watching my brother go off to fight…twice…keeping track of his whereabouts with pushpins on a map of Viet Nam posted on our hallway wall…

…or maybe it's because I worked with veterans of the war, both American and South Vietnamese…listened to their stories of living in a war-torn country, leaving their homeland, chased out by the Communists…

…or maybe it's because of my fascination with Civil War and World War II histories… or because I had relatives and ancestors who fought in them…

…whatever the reason, my voice might be different than many of the other bloggers blasting for peace today, because unlike some people, I believe war is sometimes necessary, because it takes two sides to have peace, and let's face it, there are some countries, some leaders, who are too power-hungry or prejudiced or full of hate to agree to peace, if it means giving up power or control or hatred…

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace"

~Jimi Hendrix

Even so I believe it's wrong to quit striving for peace, to keep trying and believing peace is possible. To try anything and everything before going to war, short of giving in to tyranny and giving up freedom. 

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

In writing my great-great grandfather's story, based on his memoir, I'm trying to be a voice for peace. He shares his experiences of a violent life before, during, and after the Civil War, but woven within the story is a longing for peace and a warning to the young. My challenge is to make sure that message is heard.

Will you help spread the word?

"If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another."

~Tenzin Gyatso

"If war is ever lawful, then peace is sometimes sinful."

~C.S. Lewis

"The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed during war."

~Chinese proverb

"Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous."

~George Bernard Shaw

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children."

~Mahatma Gandhi

"Let us forgive each other – only then will we live in peace."

~Leo Nikolaevich Toystoy

'Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again.

Now I've been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun…

(This is a beautiful version of one of my favorite songs…but if you want old style Cat Stevens, click HERE for a version from 1976.)