Jan’s Blog Posts

Pearls of Awe

Moments of awe are artfully described by psychologist David Elkins (who studied under Viktor Frankl): “… the most important, transformative experiences of life…Awe is a lightning bolt that marks in memory those moments when the doors of perception are cleansed, and we see with startling clarity what is truly important in life.”And yet,in our rush to accomplish the next thing on invisible to-do lists, we skip momentary opportunities of basking in awe.    

I am enjoying reading psychotherapist Jake Eagle and physician Michael Amster’s 2023 book, The Power of Awe: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose—In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day. I am usually dubious of what might “stick” in less than 1 minute per day, but I believe these two mindfulness-instructor authors have their eyes on a simple prize. Afterall, life is lived in present moments. When you pay attention, in everyday as well as special moments, there is an aliveness that grabs you, perhaps by oozing goose bumps or watery eyes. You tend to remember such moments.

The authors advise: “Finding awe isn’t a goal. Goals are for the future. Awe is here now, a sense of wonder coming from firsts, lasts, and experiences that continue to amaze us…Firsts: First kiss…first time you rode a bike, swam in the ocean…Lasts: The last mountain you’ll climb, your last kiss…last words you’ll hear [from someone]… Experiences that continue to amaze: Sunrise. Shooting stars. Redwood trees…a sense of oneness…the depth of love we can feel.”

To help you tune in more frequently to awe, the 3-part A.W.E. Method is free online as “A.W.E. Guide and Journal” at https://thepowerofawe.com/  — where A.W.E. represents Attention, Wait, Exhale and Expand in five-to-fifteen-second intense moments of focus. The research on the health benefits of this 1-minute “microdosing mindfulness” (in just 3 awe-filled segments each day) is impressive.

The magic happens when you have the intention for ATTENTION, then pause — or in this model termed WAIT – WAIT with intention before elongating an EXHALE-and-EXPAND consciousness. I offer a recent example from my garden. With intention, I was admiring a profusion of phlox plumes when suddenly, a hummingbird darted in front of me and landed on a nearby ‘Blue Fortune’ hyssop plant. With as much stealth as I could muster, I slowly removed my cell phone from my pants pocket and etched my memory with those fluttering feathers. Usually when I attempt this move with birds or butterflies, they flit away. For some reason, this hummer was not threatened by my presence. I shared close-up eye contact with awe.  

Psychologist Dacher Keltner also wrote a book on awe – AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (2023). I’m all in on this topic! Keltner believes that                               awe is “almost always nearby.”

Let’s savor awesome moments!

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

319. When did you recently experience an awe-filled moment?  

320. Would you be willing to share this awesome time in the comment section?  

Mend Differences through Dialogue

Egyptian Stela, Middle Kingdom, about 1870-1770 BCE

Interpretations of ancient Egyptian art are fascinating. According to the hieroglyphs on the above stela (a commemorative monument), scholars find that a son and his mother (Amenemhat and Yatu) are depicted with objects they might use in the afterlife. Along with clothing and food supplies (bread and beer), there is a cosmetic container under Yatu’s chair (a red and white container of “ointment”). One scholar refers to a blue jar under Amenemhat’s chair as eye paint (kohl); a second opinion labels this a “beer jar with a drinking straw.” Take your pick.   

Four horizontal lines of hieroglyph text offer a prayer: “A royal offering of Osiris, Lord of ‘Life of the Two Lands.’ May he give a mortuary offering of bread and beer, oxen and geese, linen, clothing, every good and pure thing whereon [the god] lives, for the ka [soul] of the guardsman Amenemhat, deceased, born of Yatu, deceased, and for the ka [soul] of his mother, his beloved, Yatu, deceased, born of Tita, deceased.”

Ever curious, I offer questions: Why is guardsman Amenemhat depicted with his mother, Yatu? What did he guard? Why is no father named in the stela story? Did the mother/son duo die at the same time? Was there a plague or war? Or was this gravestone initiated when a mother was dying and the two family members shared a final dialogue?

The definition of “dialogue” is a conversation between two or more individuals where discussion leads to resolving an issue or problem.

Too many families do not dialogue about important stuff. As psychiatrist Murray Bowen points out, “The person who runs away from his family of origin is as emotionally dependent as the one who never leaves home. They both need emotional closeness, but they are allergic to it.”

Too many countries do not dialogue about their differences and subsequently devolve into war. Are people allergic to problem-solving dialogues? Or do they lack the training to have dialogues?

It takes compassion to have a dialogue. I wrote about this in Transforming Retirement: Rewire and Grow Your Legacy: “Relating well with compassion for others takes the consciousness of the fittest. The most useful compassion description I have found is from Austrian Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. He differentiated I-Thou relating, or accepting the other person as sacred, from I-It relating where people treat others more as objects useful for one’s benefit. In I-Thou relationships there is a genuine dialogue where you discuss issues with another with your whole being. Such conscious relating can remove arbitrary boundaries between individuals. If both partners in a relationship believe in I-Thou dialoguing, they stop themselves from projecting their own painful stories onto the other.”

We might use Buber’s dialogue messaging to mend differences and negotiate an end to stuff — like barbaric wars.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

317. When have you dialogued successfully to resolve some tricky issue?

318. When in your life has dialogue broken down so that it seemed impossible to have individuals listen to one another?                      

Birthday Time

We are not first in making up catchphrases about time, but our cultural time fragments tell a lot about who we are when we say…

“Take your time…[It’s] time to…Running out of time… Free time…Time-strapped…Be on time…Time stopped …[It’s] high time…Time machine…Kill time…Time is money…A waste of time…Manage your time…Save time…Spend time…Time is of the essence…What time is it?”

Time flies, as the saying goes. Roman poet Virgil (70-19 BC) is credited with this timely slogan, first given as “Fugit irreparabile tempus” or “It escapes, irretrievable time.”

And yes, time appears to “escape,” even going faster as we age! After finding how frequently time was mentioned in my retirement survey of 125 individuals (ages 55-96), I wrote about this accelerating phenomenon in Transforming Retirement: Rewire and Grow Your Legacy: “Research backs up this perception. The release of dopamine, the body’s main neurotransmitter involved in time processing, has a drop-off beginning after age 20. This leads to the appearance that time passes faster. Also, your perceptions are different from younger years when you had to process many new events. There are possibilities to combat the speeding timeclock. To make time-travel slow down, do something different! When you are in flow-mode, you do not count hours.”

I just celebrated this blog’s 3-year birthday. Where did the time go? I began writing Pearls of Peace weekly when Mom (1922-2022) was about to turn 99-years-old. I chose Monday morning for online delivery. Why Mondays? At the time, I could not tell you why. Later I realized that my activist mother talked about “Moral Mondays,” as she and her peace colleagues would stand on the corner of the Federal Building in her hometown of South Bend, Indiana, every Monday (yes, even in snow) at evening rush hour to protest ongoing U.S. involvement in war. I stood with Mom a few times when I was visiting her for a long weekend.

As the Middle East/U.S. conflicts churned on, the Heartland reactions of those witnessing this small group of anti-war protestors appeared to change over time. Initially, there were some obscenities shouted out car windows, but people became war weary. I later saw individuals roll down car windows to smile and flash a peace V sign to the protestors. Maybe Margaret Mead was right when she said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” 

Peace seems more elusive today than in earlier post-9-11 days. Wars today are like surround-sound, coming from multiple directions. I make no pretense that weekly writing about pluses and minuses of human nature — to stir a few readers’ thinking about everyday possibilities — might change the world. My Moral Mondays look different from Mom’s, but perhaps we just keep time in our own way.

Thinking of your legacy, Mom, in your Birthday week.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

315. What does the concept of time mean to you?

316. How do you spend time that is meaningful to you?     

Real Pearls, Real Information

How do you tell a real pearl from a “cultured” pearl? It is difficult to tell the difference with a cursory look at outer appearances. An x-ray of the internal pearl is not available for most of us. A natural pearl may show ongoing “growth lines” where concentric layers of nacre build up. Nacre is often called mother-of-pearl; while it is whitish, it shines with different colors and is used to make buttons and other jewelry. Real pearls have special appeal, as their nacre layers can “bounce” light, making better “color.” Cultured pearls only have a thin outer layer of nacre.

One method of testing your pearls is to look at the holes drilled into the pearls; imitation pearls often have larger holes than real pearls. Now, gently rub two pearls together; imitation pearls will slide smoothly against one another while real pearls’ nacre is “gritty.” Grit is one of my favorite words, so you know that I admire the real deal. A growth-and-grit mindset is necessary for navigating the real world.

How do you tell real information from misinformation? Unfortunately, this is more difficult than detecting a real pearl! In the July/August edition of Monitor on Psychology, the magazine of the American Psychological Association, an article highlights the intense work of psychological scientists to increase their efforts to stop the life-threatening spread of false information about health.

Psychologist William Klein, associate director of behavioral research at the National Cancer Institute, regrets how politicized the term “misinformation” has become; he sees how social media is often responsible for rumors about health. It is especially disheartening when organized disinformation campaigns deliberately mislead folks with their layers of lies. Research shows that individuals tend to engage more and spread more false information online, compared with factual information. In one Canadian survey, 73% of 18- to 24-year-olds followed at least one influencer who spreads anti-science information. In the U.S. only 37% of adults had trust in CDC recommendations in 2022. So far, interventions regarding misinformation on health have limited success.

Carol Graham, Senior Fellow at nonprofit public policy organization Brookings Institute, cites not just political polarization as a factor in misinformation, but also the decline of local newspapers, the lack of post-secondary education opportunities in impoverished communities, as well as the mounting stress of reduced health and longevity in these neighborhoods.

Investment in declining communities is a critical issue, along with changing how Americans view mental health care. Funding for local newspapers can foster a sense of community, a dwindling concept. Vital communities take pride in their schools. Most of all, education is key in curbing misinformation. Wouldn’t a “cultured” society reform our schools so that all students can enter the labor market successfully?

To make misinformation less credible it will take a growth-and-grit mindset and layers of ongoing gritty change in tax-dollar choices.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

313. How do you detect misinformation?

314. What can you do to stop the spread of misinformation?   

Olympics & Mental Health

Eiffel Tower in Moonlight (Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)

Vincent Van Gogh captured the essence of one’s ability potential in a letter that he wrote to his brother: “…principles are good and worth the effort only when they develop into deeds…it’s good to reflect and to try to be conscientious, because that makes a person’s will to work more resolute and turns the various actions into a whole…for the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone and is a succession of little things that are brought together…it’s the same with other things as it is with artistic matters…the great isn’t something accidental; it must be willed.” 

What does it take to make a winning Olympian? Details may vary among different individuals, but I agree that greatness takes willpower which I define as grit. Research psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as “the power of passion plus persistence.” Grit is exercising discipline, a basic human need.

However, grit is not the only consideration in a person’s successful outcomes. One’s mental health is the secret sauce of success.

We can thank Simone Biles for educating folks about the importance of one’s mentally healthy approach to her dangerous-but-oh-so-beautiful sport. When she needed to drop out of most of the Olympic competition in Tokyo, many treated her decision harshly; she was expected to “push through,” and deny her doubts. Unfortunately, those who critiqued Biles misunderstood the situation.

Betty Okino, a 1992 Olympic medalist, explained that a gymnast can die if one cannot land on their feet (and end up landing on their head). Gymnasts call their doubts “the twisties,” a mental block where one has difficulty grasping their acute spatial ability to sense and control airborne moves. It feels as if their body and brain have a disconnect.

Biles did push through calf pain in the Paris Olympic qualification round this weekend, aiding her team in climbing to the top of the leaderboard. Biles told Hoda Kotb that she used to think of psychotherapy as a weakness. Now she has learned to speak about trauma.

Biles is not alone in addressing her mental health needs as an elite athlete. The comeback swimmer Caeleb Dressel made a decision to take 8 months off after the Tokyo Olympics to regroup in meeting his mental health needs; he has worked with a therapist weekly for 2 years.

According to Jess Bartley, senior director of psychological services for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, 15 psychological service providers worked with 1,200 athletes last year. Athletes grapple with such questions:

  • What is the place that sport has in your life?
  • How is your identity tied up in this?
  • What does it mean to make, or not make, the Olympic Games?

The Paris Olympics has a 24/7 hotline with mental health counselors who speak 70+ languages. This year athletes may seek services until 4 years post-Olympic week. Elite athletes are role models in caretaking one’s bodymind without shame.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

311. How do you define your own identity?

312. When do you need extra willpower or grit in your life?   

Disability Pride Pearls

July is Disability Pride Month. We commemorate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) anniversary (becoming law July 26, 1990). The ADA civil-rights goal is to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities. One might ask how often the law is working for the 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. who live with a disability. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are especially challenged in finding jobs — 85% are unemployed.

Self-acceptance and pride are themes every year, but the 2024 theme for the month-long celebration is “We Want a Life Like Yours.” Being inclusive and supporting everyone is part of our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Yes, dear weekly readers, I included these words in my blog about July 4th — on the topic of immigrants who were granted citizenship over that holiday week. There seems to be a need for shoring up our memories about what our country stands for.

Boston has the distinction of being first to celebrate Disability Pride in 1990, while Chicago is first in sponsoring a Disability Pride Parade (beginning in 2004). A Disability Pride flag was created with various colors to represent different types of disabilities: green for sensory disabilities, blue for mental illnesses, white for invisible or undiagnosed disabilities, yellow for neurodivergence, and red to represent physical disabilities. One wheel-chair-bound participant looks forward to the annual parade, calling it “a family reunion.”

The idea of any parade is to celebrate something, to take notice of something important, and to pause our busy lives for a period of focus. Too often, those with disabilities are not noticed — or are noticed but then overlooked when it comes to inclusive actions. Some individuals with disabilities have to cope with ableism issues every day.

July also is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Mental Health Month. We need more open dialogues about mental health in America.  

Happily, in my hometown community I watched our local high school’s summer musical with pride. The cast was extensive with a chorus line that was three-deep for many songs! Among the singer/dancer chorus were high schools students with disabilities. When I realized this, I had goose bumps. Someone at the high school notices these students. I was on the faculty of this school as a school psychologist in the 1980’s, working with troubled students who were referred to as “Behavior Disordered,” a label that I reject. Acceptance from non-special-education staff was withering.

Perhaps times are changing in a good direction. Let’s speed up progress in acceptance for everyone and their particular needs. 

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

309. Do you personally know someone with a disability?

310. If so, how does their disability affect you?   

Courageous Pearls

In the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the life of an innocent man ended as he sheltered his family. Two other bystanders also captured bullets. As in several other shooter profiles, the 20-year-old gunman was described as the recipient of bullying in school. Why? Who’s teaching the values of democracy which include “…insuring domestic tranquility”?  

In his book, Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit, writer Parker J. Palmer calls for examining our inner lives to reach the “commonwealth” of compassion and creativity found in the wording in “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union….” Palmer instructs how to focus on shared values with the claim that “the human heart is the first home of democracy.” His 5 habits of the heart are a courageous blueprint for these troubled times:

  • An understanding that we are all in this together
  • An appreciation of the value of “otherness”
  • An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways
  • A sense of personal voice and agency
  • A capacity to create community

Named one of the most important books of the early 21st Century by Democracy & Education, Palmer’s 2024 updated edition contains a discussion guide augmented by online video interviews. Let’s teach this in schools.

Another courageous source of hope lies in the community effort to end the cycle of gun violence by the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago. In partnership with Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Crime Lab, the Institute identifies community individuals who are at risk of being shot or becoming a shooter. They foster the healing of broken dreams and chaotic emotions of youth, supporting individuals though their program of “relentless engagement.” Block by block, they espouse the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. in nonviolent problem-solving. Their 6 principles of nonviolence support Palmer’s ideas with added dimension:

  •  Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
  • The Beloved Community is the goal.
  • Attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil.
  • Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve a goal.
  • Avoid internal violence of the Spirit as well as external physical violence.
  • The Universe is on the side of Justice.

The Institute creates a “culture of wellness,” including helping individuals find living-wage jobs in the legal economy. I love how their staff keep receiving training in trauma-informed care and have an offering of yoga practice. It is key to heal the healers as well as train individuals in nonviolence.

Palmer’s words inspire: “When democracy is working as it should, it is a complex and confusing mess where we can think and act as we choose, within the rule of law…and can still manage to come together for the sake of the common good.” The common good is inclusive. Democracy is inclusive.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

307. Which of the Institute-for-Nonviolence-Chicago principles might you work on?

308. How can you foster inclusivity in your hometown?    

Independence Day Pearls and Perils

July 4, 2024, celebrated 248 years since the birthday of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. While many Americans enjoyed celebrating July 4th another year, for some folks it marked their first Independence Day. Babies born in the past year and others who were granted citizenship marked their first July 4th holiday. I enjoyed family time along with watching an annual parade of community groups celebrating connections. The parade was energizing (even in light rain) with kids, candy bags, and colorful cars. Later in downtown Chicago, singing patriotic songs along with the Grant Park Symphony was memorable.

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Mother Theresa’s words are timeless, but especially meaningful in today’s divided states of America. It was heartwarming to see everyone waving tiny American flags that were handed out at the concert.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated Independence Day this year by handing out citizenship to approximately 11,000 newcomers in more than 195 naturalization ceremonies during June 28th – July 5th. Deputy Assistant to the President Blas Nuñez-Neto participated in a naturalization ceremony at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, while similar celebrations took place across the country, including Battleship in New Jersey, Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri and Fort Clatsop (Lewis & Clark National Historic Park) in Oregon.

 In 2023, USCIS welcomed 878,500 new U.S. citizens. This year USCIS made significant strides in reducing naturalization pending queues, already welcoming 589,400 citizens. USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou summarizes: “These new citizens add diversity and character to our great nation, and we are committed to helping all who are eligible to experience the freedoms and liberties we enjoy as U.S. citizens.”

I cannot imagine leaving my country, especially if a language barrier existed. It must feel precarious to encounter uncertainty as unnerving as clinging to electrical wires. Even more daunting, I cannot imagine dealing with the traumatic conditions that can make it mandatory for some parents to carry their babies, with little else, across several countries to reach their dream of safety and second chances.

Let’s recall the Declaration of Independence intentions: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”   

Gaining citizenship as an immigrant is not guaranteed, but many communities across America have extended a helping hand to these newcomers. “There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about. Ask: ‘What’s possible?’ not ‘What’s wrong?’ Keep asking. Notice what you care about. Assume that many others share your dreams.” These words by organizational consultant Margaret Wheatley are a blueprint for moving forward.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

305. What meaning does July 4th hold for you?

306. How might you participate in helping others reach their American dream?

Summer Stones

Summer is in full swing! July 4th celebration plans are a big draw, although rock music fans flocked to Chicago for an early celebratory weekend with a Rolling Stones concert. Chicago rhythm-and-blues fans Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met in 1961 in London. Initially calling their band Little Boy Blue & the Blue Boys, guitarist Brian Jones snatched their more famous name from Muddy Waters’ 1950 song, Rollin’ Stone. Jones spotted the song’s LP — lying on the floor — just as he was asked by a journalist about the fledgling band’s name.

Also known by their shortened name, The Stones, band members were called to a stage by Muddy Waters for an impromptu jam in 1978. Sample this classic collaboration without having to purchase an expensive ticket: https://news.wttw.com/2024/06/27/rolling-stones-and-chicago-20-memorable-moments-band-s-rich-history-blues-capital-world 

Muddy Waters also inspired other white musicians – Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan are two examples. Dylan’s 1965 song, Like a Rolling Stone, is another Waters’ spinoff. Add the magazine copycat, Rolling Stone.

Copying an early English proverb (from around 1500), “A rolling stone gathers no moss,” an original meaning refers to cutting peat (consisting of sphagnum moss) in bogs to prepare for winter fireplaces. Any itinerant travelers were dubbed “rolling stones” as they did not gather the moss needed for heat. The Rolling Stones original duo –together for nearly 60 years — keeps gathering a fan following. Their beat can heat up memories. I still have my husband’s Rolling Stones LP, Sticky Fingers.

There is something poignant about one’s loss of innocence and encountering the “real” world. Consider The Rolling Stones signature song, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, first released in the U.S. in 1965. It made Rolling Stone magazine’s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Times” list in 2021 as #31. Jagger’s comments about his 60’s lyrics are eerily relevant today: “…it captures a spirit of the times…which was alienation.”

I can’t get no satisfaction
I can’t get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no…

When I’m drivin’ in my car
And the man comes on the radio
He’s tellin’ me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to drive my imagination….

I checked with a friend who went to this weekend’s concert and sure enough, I Can’t Get No Satisfaction was on The Stones’ playlist.

I wonder who might feel satisfaction after watching the presidential debate this past week. Alienation is toppling over in the U.S. today. Itinerant voters may not show up for November’s important election. However, circuitous stepping stones may bring people together. We are an interconnected bunch, although we may not acknowledge our earliest common ancestors. We need more cross-culture collaboration like Muddy Waters and the Blue Boys from London enjoyed. Without such acceptance, we act stone-like to one another. And we get no satisfaction.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

303. How do you define satisfaction in your life?

304. What drives your imagination?    

It Takes a Grandmother

I am fond of my book title for my first book, It Takes a Child to Raise a Parent. I receive affirmative grins and head shakes when I share this title with others. You likely helped to raise your parents in certain ways, but also have learned a thing or two from kids, either from your own or other’s children. Sometimes though, it takes a grandparent to raise consciousness about something important.

Juneteenth has been celebrated among African American families for 150+ years, yet many Americans are unaware of this aspect of our U.S. history. The history of people of color has not been covered as extensively in school textbooks as the history of Pilgrims claiming “freedom” on American soil.  

Some Americans only heard of Juneteenth when President Biden named June 19th as Juneteenth National Independence Day in 2021. While the Senate unanimously approved a bill to set aside a national day of commemoration, sadly there was opposition from 14 members of the House of Representatives. We might guess the color of their ancestors’ skin.

While President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery on January 1, 1863, folks living in Texas did not receive this news. It was not until 2 ½ years later on June 19, 1865, that General Gordon Granger went to Galveston, Texas, to deliver the freedom tidings. Such a deliverance was not recognized by many. African Americans were wary of their actual freedom. As Harriet Tubman expressed, “I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.”  

It took the grit of a grandmother, Opal Lee, to rouse the rest of the country into awareness of this vital piece of our shared history. Lee grew up in Texas, but freedom of African American residents was far from accepted practice there. When her family lived in Fort Worth in a mostly white neighborhood, as a child she survived her home being burned to the ground by white individuals on June 19, 1939.

As a retired educator, Lee worked tirelessly to gather the signatures needed to appoint the national holiday for Juneteenth. As a spry 89-year-old, Lee embarked on 2 ½-mile walks from Fort Worth to the U.S. Capitol. She was 96 years young when she finally witnessed the signing of the historic Bill creating Juneteenth as a national holiday.

Perhaps some of us have forgotten (or never knew) the little song that I learned in Sunday School: “Jesus loves the little children, all the children in the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight….” For those who were not raised in this Sunday School tradition, go to any flower garden. Only some plants are white; most are colorful.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz 

301. What cause could interest you in walking across the country to gather support?  

302.  How can you foster “freedom” in your community?