"There was a time when I thought it was a nuisance to be confronted with a problem. I tried to get rid of it. I tried to get somebody else to solve it for me. But that was a long time ago . . . Problems are learning and growing experiences. A life without problems would be a barren existence, without opportunity for spiritual growth."  (59-60) Peace Pilgrim kept track of the first 25,000 miles she walked, back and forth across North America, and then she stopped counting. After a 15 year preparation period, she walked for 28 years! As she explained it, "there's a great deal of difference between being willing  to give your life and actually giving  your life, and for me fifteen years of preparation and inner seeking lay between." (Peace Pilgrim, 8)  She gave her life for the cause of peace at the individual, community, national, and international levels. She traveled light, never accepted money, and only accepted food and shelter if freely offered. Her writings ...

  Let me introduce you to Etty Hillesum, in case you haven't made her acquaintance. I happened upon her writing a couple years ago and just finished reading  An Interrupted Life , The Diaries of Etty Hillesum. This image of Etty captures some of her bohemian, intense personality. Hers was an examined life, scrutinized in close detail over the course of the two years that she wrote. Her reflections trace her evolution and, should you ever pick up the book, I encourage you to persevere through her early romantic ramblings in order to fully appreciate the person who emerges. Etty wrote during her final years in Amsterdam (1941-1943), before electing to accompany her parents and brother to a transit camp in the Netherlands. She was forcibly deported to Auschwitz where she died. What resonated most deeply with me were the inner struggles Etty faced head-on. A couple quotes give you a sense of this capacious woman: "Sometimes I had the certain if rather undefined feeling that I woul...