“Sally is right about the event being special. The walk was multifaceted: was very sad, very moving, and very inspiring. One poignant moment was when Midland Avenue Relief organizer Aiman Youseff played a recording of Our Father in Aramaic – as the Buddhist celebrants bowed their heads in reverence. A graphic representation of the Buddhist concept of interbeing / interdependence. Icing on the cake – a fella from Jersey who owns Drink King, a beverage distributor, dropped off several pallets of Gerolsteiner – a type of mineral water that I drink a lot of when visiting the ancestral homeland. ” —ThomasAGood
“We had an amazing day yesterday with the Peace Walkers. As planned we met at Guyon Ave and Mill Rd (not Ave, sorry!) in the morning. Bill Johnsen led us on a walk through the Ocean Breeze and Midland Beach communities. We stopped at the community recovery centers and spoke to the volunteers and residents about the challenges ahead. Every Saturday morning Bill starts out at Guyon and Mill and makes this walk from Ocean Breeze to South Beach. Everyone knows him and thanks him for his work raising awareness of the struggles of the residents and the commitment of the volunteers.
From Midland Beach we made the walk up to Richmond Road to Clove Road to Post Ave to the Buddhist Temple in Port Richmond. Snow fell a good part of the way. The drums and chant make it easy to walk. At the temple Bhante Wimalajothi greeted us. Pat Berg brought a wonderful hot meal and her famous Peace Cakes. And we were able to rest and talk.
Thank you to the Temple, the Peace Walkers, Bill Johnsen, Tom Good and everyone who supported or walked.
Sally”
3/16 Staten Island
Via Flickr:
QOTD: All we are saying is give peace a chance. — John Lennon *** Quote from The Hip Pocket Guide To Offbeat Wisdom by William Sauer
Backstory: A Buddhist “Peace Walker” from Leverett, Massachusetts, visits the storm-damaged east shore of Staten Island (March 16, 2013).
Equipment: Nikon D40x / Nikkor 18~55mm f3.5/5.6
The New England Peace Pagoda 