In honor of the International Day of Peace, we gathered with women of
different faiths - Jewish, Christian, Buddhist - to do a Walking Meditation
in Muir Woods National Park in Marin County, CA on September 15. We
dedicated our walk to the Israeli and Palestinian women who are working
daily to build trust and mutual understanding among our peoples and
religions. We invited their presence to join us - and all the women who are
working for peace worldwide. The age range was 16 - 70 years old. We paused
at the memorial to President Roosevelt and the inaugural UN meeting that
took place there in 1945. Nearby was a sign that designated the area of Cedar Grove as a Quiet Zone - Mia Monroe, the
Director of the Park said that our regular women's silent meditation walks
for many years influenced their intention to create this silent area. This
process has taken a long time to be established - and even involved changing
the flight paths overhead. As we neared the end of our walk, we were joined
by some deer. We received a bouquet of wildflowers left for us by Wendy of
Green Gulch who was unable to join us.
In our closing circle we discussed various plans for the future. Our TRUST
WIN is planning the November 23 inauguration of our Garden of the Women that
we're creating and planting in the north of Israel. This is to replant
trees that were destroyed and to commemorate the Christian, Jewish, Druze,
and Muslims who were killed in the large forest fire last year - many
efforts to replant the forest are underway -- but this is the only
initiative being done by women! We will also be celebrating ten years of
women of different faiths working together to build bridges of trust and
mutual understanding - our Garden of the Mothers will be a serene oasis to
hold interfaith gatherings, and to bring our families to relax together. One
of the women suggested that they will create a Garden of the Mothers in her
community in California - and that we should publicize this so women can
create Gardens of the Mothers all over the world! We hope other women will
be inspired! We also discussed the possibility of having Thich Nhat Hanh
lead a walking meditation in Muir Woods when he visits the area in 2013.
We were reluctant to leave the beauty and serenity of the trees - but felt
nourished by their solidity and the warmth of the women's sisterhood and
support of women building peace in the world.
