Trail of Hope

 When you no longer go forward, … which path in life do you take ?

                                -         The one to the left, where nothing is right , or ….

                                -         The one to the right, where nothing is left ?

For nearly 70 years as a performer, Pete Seeger has embodied the ideals of folk music – communication, entertainment, social comment, historical continuity, inclusiveness.

 The songs he has written, and those he has discovered and shared, have helped preserve our cultural heritage, imprinting adults and children with the sounds, traditions and values of our global past and present.

 A fearless warrior for social justice and the environment, Pete’s political activism – from the Civil Rights movement and anti-McCarthyism to resistance to fascism and the wars in Vietnam and the Middle East – has become the template for subsequent generations of musicians and ordinary citizens with something to say about the world.

…. and “Turn, Turn, Turn!”, which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are still sung throughout the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhPS_MBAIcw

> One who walks a long way <

I’m so very Honored and Proud !

My buddy John Connors and friends have put together a little Homecoming gathering for me on Wednesday, August 17th from 6pm-9pm. This event will take place at the Penn Treaty Museum in Philadelphia located at the intersection of Columbia Ave and Delaware Ave. The Museum is a light colored building with a mural on the side.

Everyone is invited to come visit and say hello. I hope to see you there!

Yesterday I took the final steps of the Trail of Hope. I can’t believe it is finally finished! It has been long journey and I’m grateful that I was able to end it in such a special way.

The night before last, I spent the evening at the Delaware Indian Pow-Wow grounds about 17 miles from Bartlesville. I was joined by the Assistant Delaware Chief Chet Brooks and Michael Adair. We left the grounds at midnight so we would arrive around noon in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

By 7am a big thunderstorm came into the area and showered rain down throughout the remainder of our walk. It doesn’t seem ironic that the first steps of the Trail of Hope were taken in the middle of a light drizzle and later, a steady rain. In my first post of the Trail, I stated that I felt like the rain was blessing the Trail ahead, washing away any danger, and helping me to feel safe that everything would turn out all right. Alas, the final steps of the Trail were also made during a rainstorm, blessing everything behind me and the paths I will take in the future.

Despite the elements I was immensely proud that both men stepped up to the challenge and graciously accompanied me with such bravery. When we arrived in Bartlesville we enjoyed a nice lunch and I met some very gracious and friendly people. Everyone seemed excited to see me and talk with me about the Trail. I was grateful to meet Joe Brooks, Chet’s brother and we had a nice talk together. He shared a heartfelt speech and I feel honored to know him and his brother.

A little later, around 6pm, I received an official welcoming by the Chief in the official Delaware Indian language. I talked to those present, sharing my triumphs and challenges I encountered along the Trail. A lady from the local Bartlesville history center presented me with a book. The Delaware Indians presented me with a different kind of gift and I was extremely grateful. I in turn presented a seedling from the direct descendent of the Great Elm Tree given to me by the tree keepers at Haverford College as well as gifts from the Penn Treaty Museum and some of my pictures, posters and the official Trail of Hope picture.

I felt honored to be among my Delaware Indian friends and to share the Trail of Hope with them, closing out an epic adventure and a heartfelt tribute. I felt accepted by them and am grateful for their warm welcome as I arrived in Bartlesville.  I’m hoping that a long lasting friendship will develop and flourish for “as long as the creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon and stars endure.”

Here’s a letter of Wm. Penn to Delaware Indians
and these are exactly my feelings:
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           William Penn’s Letter to the Pennsylvania Indians 
                          London, October 18, 1681    

  ***         My Friends——
 
     There is one great God and Power that hath made the world and all things therein, to whom you and I and all People owe their being and well being, and to whom you and I must one Day give an account, for all that we do in this world:  this great God hath commanded to love and help and do good to one another and not to do harme and mischeif one unto one an other . . . .
 
     I have great love and regard towards you, and I desire to win and gain your Love and friendship by a kind, just and peaceable life.       ***

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——–  in the Spirit of Love, Peace, Amity
                  from the Trail of Hope.   –  August 12, 2011
                  Peter Prusinowski.    ———-

I Came … I Saw … I Conquered

SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

Life offers us the opportunity to become a Spiritual Warrior. 
A warrior is one who bravely goes into those dark areas within 
themselves to ferret out the Truth of their being. 
It takes great courage, stamina and endurance to 
become a Spiritual Warrior.
 
The path is narrow, the terrain rough and rocky. 
You will walk alone: through the dark caves, 
up those steep climbs and through the dense thick forest. 
You will meet your dark side. The faces of fear, deceit, and 
sadness all await your arrival.
 
No one can take this journey but you. 
There comes a time, in each of our lives, 
when we are given the choice to follow this path. 
Should we decide to embark on this journey, 
we can never turn back…. Our lives are changed forever 
On this journey, there are many different places we can 
choose to slip into and hide. But the path goes on. 
The Spiritual Warrior stays the course, wounded at times, 
exhausted and out of energy. Many times, the Warrior will 
struggle back to their feet to take only a few steps before 
falling again.
 
Rested, they forge on, 
continuing the treacherous path. 
The journey continues. The Spiritual Warrior 
stays the course. Weakened, but never broken. 
One day, the battle, loneliness and desperate fights are over. 
The sun breaks through the clouds; the birds begin to sing 
their sweet melodies. There is a change in the energy. 
A deep change within the self.
 
The warrior has fought the courageous fight. 
The battle of the dark night of the soul is won. 
New energy now fills the Warrior. 
A new path is now laid before them. 
A gentler path filled with the inner-knowing 
of one who has personal empowerment.
 
With their personal battle won, they are filled with joy. 
A new awareness that they are one with the Spirit beams 
as they go forth to show others the way. 
They are not permitted to walk the path for others. 
They can only love, guide and be a living example 
of the Truth of their being. 

                                                                - Unknown Native American