I would like to introduce this Sangha to a woman who has been a source of inspiration to me for many years. Peace Pilgrim, as she called herself, was born Mildred Lissette Norman on July 18, 1908 in the little town of Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. As a young woman, she was an ardent peace activist and highly self-disciplined. She was the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one season. She spent many years practicing meditation, fasting, and spending time in nature…

I knit as a meditation. I was trained to be painter at Bard College, and got my MFA at Hunter. Now, I paint with artisan yarns yarns. My father fled the pogroms in Belarus as a young boy. He and his mother came to NYC with just the clothes on their backs. The current situation in Ukraine has brought up ancestral trauma. I am offering my knit scarves and shawls for sale to benefit World Central Kitchen. All proceeds, less shipping, will go to this amazing organization.

Meditating today there was sadness. I miss my dad. It seems the emptier his house becomes the bigger his presence is felt. There is also guilt here. His last days of dying were not as peaceful and pain free as we had thought they would be. Wishing it could have been different, wishing he could have gone back in time to when he was healthier and time would stop there. But if there is craving for things to not change where does the not changing stop?

Earlier this week I was on the subway at a fairly busy time of the day. I saw three empty seats on the four-seater at the end of the car. I took one, and at the other end was a homeless man. As I settled into my seat, maneuvering a bag and winter clothes, I turned to this man to make sure I wasn’t knocking over the meal he had beside him. We looked at each other and I said, “Hi, how are you?” and nodded. I’m not sure if he replied, but we both smiled and the moment passed…