Trail of Hope

 The element of peace describes a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously and is without violent conflict. Peace is often understood as the absence of hostility or war. Yet there is so much more to this element of peace. It is considered the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal relationships and even the acknowledgement of equality.

Peace is a state of balance in understanding within yourself and between others. Respect is gained by the acceptance of differences, tolerance persists and conflicts are resolved through dialog, people’s rights are respected and their voices are heard and most importantly, everyone is at their highest point of serenity without social tension.

Peace is an element which has been passed down from generation to generation. Native Americans would share a ceremonial peace pipe, smoking it to seal a covenant or treaty. The peace pipe was used by not just Native Americans, but anyone attending a particular peaceful ceremony. Wars were ended after peaceful treaties were signed. We have phrases such as “peace of mind” and “peace of heart,” which mean to have a harmonious balance within ourselves. Today people exchange a handshake as a symbol of peace.  Many artists write poems and perform songs relating to peace.

            Paul McCartney wrote this song:

Pipes of Peace Lyrics

I light a candle to our love

In love our problems disappear

But all in all we soon discover

That one and one is all we long to hear

All round the world

Little children being born to the world

Got to give them all we can til the war is won

Then will the work be done

Help them to learn (help them to learn)

Songs of joy instead of burn, baby, burn(burn, baby burn)

Let us show them how to play the pipes of peace

Play the pipes of peace.

Let us take a minute and remember one of the most famous pacts of peace, the treaty never written and never broken in 1682 along the banks of the Delaware River where people from two very different walks of life came together to live in peace and inspire generations in the future to strive for this harmony.

(Please share your thoughts and this blog! Sharing is Caring!)

Peace of mind

              ”  I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”                ~Henry David Thoreau, 1854

                     Many people are too busy multi-tasking to see the abundance in their everyday lives. Focusing  on doing one thing instead of four will make us  present and aware what is important. Making ourselves fully immersed in any task we are doing , will give that peaceful  feeling.
One needs to discover peace of mind within oneself, by oneself, for oneself.
We need to free ourselves from all self doubts, worries and fears.
We have to believe that Universe is on our side, and peace of mind is ours, in ours hands, and all we have to do is reach out and claim it.
” Loneliness ” is a word created in our language to express the pain of being alone. 
” Solitude ” a word, to express the glory of being alone, and discovering the peace of mind.

By the late 1770s, Coshocton had become the principal Lenape (Delaware) village in the Ohio Country. Many Lenape had been forced to cede their lands in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and had migrated to Ohio Country from their traditional territory on the East Coast. In addition, they were under pressure by warfare from the Iroquois pressing down from their traditional base in present-day New York.

Chief Newcomer founded Coshocton, moving his people west from their former principal settlement of Newcomerstown. Most of the latter’s Lenape population of 700 followed Newcomer. Coshocton was across the Tuscarawas River from Conchake, the former site of a Wyandot village. By then the Wyandot had migrated northwest, in part of a movement of numerous tribes.

The western Lenape were split in their alliances during the American Revolutionary War. Those who allied with the British moved further west to the Sandusky River area. From there the British and Lenape raided frontier settlements.

Those Lenape sympathetic to the new United States stayed near Coshocton. Chief Newcomer signed the Fort Pitt Treaty of 1778, by which the Lenape hoped to secure their safety during the War, and promised scouts and support to the colonists. 

In retaliation for frontier raids by hostile Lenape and British, Colonel Daniel Brodhead of the American militia ignored the treaty and destroyed the Lenape at Coshocton in April 1781.

After the Revolutionary War, the Ohio Country was opened to European-American settlement. They were mostly farmers in the early years, but development and greater trade accompanied the opening of the Erie Canal in 1824 across New York State. It provided transportation for farm products to eastern markets.

To improve their transportation of goods and people, residents of Ohio supported construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal. This enabled the transport of coal mined in the region, its most important resource commodity. In addition, the canal supported transport of goods manufactured by local industries that developed in the 19th century with the availability of coal.

There are many times when we discover that life’s circumstances are not always what we might wish them to be. There will always be moments in our lives when things do not go as planned. Yet we can not allow the unpredictable obstacles hold us back from truly living. If we do not put our efforts into choosing a path to work towards, than we are more likely to not have any direction in our lives at all.

On every mountain there is a mountain top, a summit. You may not be able to see the very top of the mountain from the depths of the valley below, but you must trust that it is there. The Trail of Hope hasn’t been easy. While walking up and down the mountains in Pennsylvania, especially in bad weather, I was tired, in pain and felt as if the whole process was straining and exhausting. While traveling up a large mountain, I had to believe the summit was there and that the sweat, pain and effort would be worth it in the end.

Reaching each summit required a lot of determination and faith, but once I reached the top of each mountain, I was filled with a myriad of feelings and emotions. Standing on the top of the summit was magnificent, spectacular and I felt an incredible feeling of glory beyond the wildest imagination.

Without the tests of life, our chosen trail would be straight, flat, and dull and the road would lead nowhere. You can’t appreciate the sunshine until you’ve had to bear with the rain. You have to appreciate every moment, no matter how straining, and take from that moment everything you possible can because you may never be able to experience a moment like that again.
You have to free your mind of limitations and distractions and unite mind and body into a peaceful harmony without letting the world around you interfere.

You have to break yourself free of restraints and set yours sights high so you can reach your own personal summit.

 Nestled in the heartbreak and poverty of South Camden, New Jersey, sits the Scared Heart Church. It serves as a beacon of light, welcoming all persons from near and far to come inside its doors and experience the power of hope. For 35 years, a humble yet well known priest strives each day to provide peace and hope to those in need. He is innovative, compassionate, and committed to spreading God’s love to the otherwise forgotten, abandoned and hopeless.

Father Michael Doyle felt committed to peace from a young age. He has always been a positive influence to others through thought, word, and most importantly, action. Fr. Doyle aims to spread the message of hope throughout Camden, NJ, encouraging everyone to have faith that tomorrow will be a better day and despite the most horrid conditions, people can still create their own destiny.

Fr. Doyle is a champion of peace. He has dedicated his life to Camden’s deteriorating neighborhoods. He founded “The Heart of Camden,” which is a program that transforms abandoned houses into suitable dwelling places and sells them to residents. As of January 2011, the parish had rehabilitated 200 neighborhood homes. Additionally, the Sacred Heart Church functions as a soup kitchen each weekend, feeding hundreds of families in need.

While visiting Camden with my good friend, John Connors, I was privileged to be introduced to Fr. Doyle. I was moved by his compassion for others and inspired by his steadfast determination to transform the area house by house, family by family, and person by person. In our brief conversation, Fr. Doyle instilled a sense of hope within my heart just by describing the people his parish served and the mission he carries out with such humility.

From the schools to the parish and out in the violent and broken neighborhoods, Fr. Doyle is a living beacon for hope and peace. For these many reasons, Father Michael Doyle is truly a silent hero.

Friendship:
by William Penn

-   Friendship is the next Pleasure we may hope for: And where we find it not at home, or have no home to find it in, we may seek it abroad> It is an Union of Spirits, a Marriage of Hearts, and the Bond thereof Verture.
 
-    Friends are true Twins in Soul: they Sympathize in every thing, and have the Love and Aversion.
 
-    One is not happy without the other, nor can either of them be miserable alone. As if they could change Bodies, they take their Turns in Pain as well as in Pleasure; relieving one another in their most adverse Conditions.
 
-   A true Friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a Friend unchangeably.

Earth, Teach Me
Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.        -  An Ute Prayer

Salem -name comes from “shalom” and “salaam,” and means Peace.
Early settlers to the city included the Religious Society of Friends Quakers.
 The city was active in the anti-slavery movement of the early-to-mid 1800′s. Still standing are many of the beautiful homes, with their hidden rooms and secret passageways, connecting them to the famous Underground Railroad.
Active in the abolitionist movement of the early- to mid-19th century, Salem acted as a hub for the American Underground Railroad, with several homes serving as “stations.” Salem retained many of these homes, but none are open to the public at present.

QUAKERS
 Disgusted by vanity and uninfluenced by vice, George Fox felt unique and alone in his philosophies. Growing up in 17th Century England, under the powerful rule of the Church, Fox searched to feed a yearning deep within his soul. At the age of 19, he left his father’s house carrying nothing but the clothes on his back and his Bible in search for what he called a “greater light.” Fox spoke to many professors of religion but always left these discussions with a sense of dissatisfaction. He simply wanted a religion where man can communicate directly with God without having to mediate through a professor, a clergy, or a powerful institution such as a church.

​Fox’s vision would eventually give way to the formation of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. Granted, any spiritual movement which challenged the Church of England’s doctrine would naturally be subject to great opposition. Quakers encountered a great deal of persecution, brutality and violence for the sake of their religion.

​ The religion is based upon the principles of unity, peace, quality, integrity, and simplicity. William Penn is considered one of the most famous Quakers in history. Penn founded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1682 which became a safe haven for Quakers to grow and practice their faith.

​Today there are five branches of the Society of Friends in the Americas. Commonly known as “Friends,” Quakers gather on Sundays for “Meetings for Worship.” During these meetings, the members mediate and speak openly if they feel called to share something of spiritual significance with the group.

First little town in Ohio on the Trail of Hope.

The township was founded by Jonathan Fowler, who fell in love with Yellow Creek which flows through Poland. Fowler owned an inn near the river which still stands as the oldest building in Poland. 

For years after Revolutionary War, all over new United States, there was a feeling of gratitude and respect for those who had come from other countries to assist in the cause of freedom. This respect was quite often expressed by naming towns in honor of the heroes of that war. 

Poland statue, “American Freedom Fighters ” honors General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, the brilliant engineer who fortified Bemis Heights during the battle of Saratoga in 1777 and was responsible for saving West Point during the war. 

His passion for Polish independence burned so greatly that he felt he must be a part of this quest for independence by fledgling nation called the United States of America.

Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski, a cavalry officer who is known as ” the father of America’s cavalry.”  He was killed in the Battle of Savannah in 1779 and is buried there.

A letter to George Washington from General Pulaski stated : ” I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.”
The people of Fowler’s place had the desire to honor these two foreign heroes and not to slight either man decided to name this community Poland after their country of birth.

This weekend, along the banks of the Delaware River, a very special event will be taking place. As a gentle breeze sweeps along Penn Treaty Park, locals, tourists, families and friends will gather together to eat, drink, dance, and maybe even learn something new.  This event is Fishtown’s third annual Shad Fest.

 On April 23^rd, from 11am until 6pm at Penn Treaty Park, Fishtown will celebrate Shad Fest. This event is near and dear to my heart. Each year I’ve attended, I’ve had the opportunity to memorialize some festive moments through my photography. I have always enjoyed celebrating the heritage of Fishtown with my fellow neighbors and their family and friends.

The event is both recreational and educational. You will learn new things about the Delaware River and a little bit about the history of Fishtown, specifically how it was given its name. There will also be promotions from local and regional businesses, live music, activities for children, and most importantly, beer and fish to enjoy! In addition to the festivities, you can participate in the Kenzinger Challenge Run, a three mile non-competitive scavenger hunt highlighting Fishtown’s and Kensington’s breweries and taverns.

Fishtown offers numerous events and festivals throughout the year. It is the community spirit of this neighborhood which makes me proud to be a resident of Fishtown. I’ve spent a great deal of my time walking the streets of this riverfront town, taking many different pictures of life and the community. I’ve complied each unique photograph into a book entitled, “With Love From Fishtown.”

I’d like to invite you to take a look at this book. If you look towards the bottom of my blog, on the right hand side, you’ll see a link to my store. In my store, there is a flipping book sample of “With Love From Fishtown.” This allows you to flip through my book digitally to see what it is all about. The book with give you a little taste of the riverfront neighborhood I have come to call home.