Nazareth to Bethlehem

There is no doubt that the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was arduous, risky, and very long. I did not realize that both Jerusalem and Bethlehem are up high in a mountainous region. The road up to Jerusalem looks like some of the beautiful areas in Southern California as we wind our way to the summits of our local mountains. this terrain is more rocky, with lots of beige stone, but many of the trees and plants are very similar to those at home.

We arrived in Bethlehem yesterday after visiting the Mediterranean Coast of Caesarea - built by the Ancient Romans under the rule of Herod at the end of the BCE through the common era and on into the Crusades. there is an amphitheater there called the "human Theater" which was not for some of the more grisly performances but a place where plays were presented. Along the oceanfront are the ruins of a palace which had at one time been inhabited by Pontius Pilate.

The Mediterranean is actually an incredible shade of blue - and the water was cool but not cold. We walked along the beach and all of us found small shards of clay pottery that have continued to wash up on shore throughout the centuries as there had once been a clay pottery factory in Caesarea which had been destroyed by an earthquake centuries ago.

When we arrived in Bethlehem, we went through the checkpoint past the Separation Wall. it is covered with graffiti - much of it very artistic. I tried to capture photos, but we were moving quickly. Our hotel was built by the Russian Orthodox Church for pilgrims coming to the Holy Land. It is a definite upgrade from the kibbutz. One night at the kibbutz and four nights here would have been perfect!  We walked from here to the Church of the Nativity. To enter it one stoops down to make passage through a very low, narrow doorway into the church. the theory is that one had to become humble to enter the place where Jesus was believed to have been born.  The building is very ornately decorated with thousands of lanterns and chandeliers. Simplicity is obviously not a word held in value by the Orthodox.
The location of the manger is down some stairs in a very small room where in a small cave-like space, one kneels down to touch a glass window over the place where the manger once existed. I was surprised at my sudden flow of tears, feeling both the grace of this place, the great possibilities that were born here, and the millions of pilgrims thoughout the ages who had also come here to touch this spot. it is still a place for the hopeful, given that we are recognizing the Prince of Peace in a place where peace has seemed so remote for so long.

That evening we saw a film called Budros produced by a Palestinian women about the non-violent movement in Palestine. The people of Budros began a non-violent protest against the placement of the separation wall.  The Israelis were uprooting their olive trees, which for centuries had been the source of their livelihood, in order to build the wall on their land. After 51 demonstrations, including sitting in front of bulldozers, being shot at with live ammunition and enduring months of hardship. they succeeded in moving the border fence back closer to the actual 1967 green line. other villages also demonstrated and without violence saved their own land.

Today we are off to a yeshiva here, to Hebron, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and then to the Palace of Herod. The pace continues! There is so much to see - and although we will be here for a total of twelve days, it is amazing how much we will not see.

Dr. Eisen is not "tuned in" to the way we women like to shop makes it difficult to pick up little gift items. Dr. Shafiq is more easygoing and Susan Novak. our Christian educator, is our only shopping advocate. She has guaranteed us "sacred shopping time" in the Old City of Jerusalem, and at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

I must say that eating lots of shawarma, pita, and every kind of hummus, dip and spread concocted in this part of the world, my waistline is disappearing. the food is very good, but I am beginning to crave a big, green, tossed salad, and a lot of fresh fruit, which is available on the street, but not often in restaurants.
We are about to board the bus- so more later.
Shalom,  As sallaam alaikum, blessings,
Peggy

The Galilee

Dear Hearts,
Sorry these posts are so long. Wireless is only available in one small "hot spot." We often get back to our rooms so late that by the time I have finished writing I am in no mood to wlak outside to the outdoor area where I can access it.  There are mosquitoes here - not my friends. This kibbutz is more like Girl Scout camp than a nice hotel.
Here are my posts from the last several days - today we are off to Bethlehem - what an incredible journey!

Nazareth, Haifa and the Druze.

It’s Friday evening and it has been an incredibly full day.

We began this morning with an Israeli breakfast. Why is it that these people are not gigantic?  They feed us and then they feed us some more.  Sesame pastries, croissants, yogurt, hummus, more dips, cucumbers and tomatoes, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and more – and it is all delicious!

Three hours of sleep was inadequate for the day, and I took a couple of inappropriate naps during some lectures, but tonight I intend to sleep very well. Now that I know the birds have no manners, I plan to wear earplugs. I got a private room so I would be assured that the only person making noise would be me. I had not planned on the birds.

The buildings at the Kibbutz are very run down. They were probably built in the early fifties when so many Jews were coming here from Europe or Russia and beginning their lives by working on communal farms.  This kibbutz is a dairy, and if the wind changes, it reminds me of Artesia in the late 60’s.

It was warm today – probably in the high 80’s, but it was beautiful. We are in the Galilee district so today we rode across the valley where there were corn crops, beans, lots of sunflowers, and other crops. We drove up to  Nazareth – home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (yes that does sound familiar). We visited the Basilica of the Annunciation where it is believed that the Archangel Gabriel came to tell Mary that she was to bear a child – named wonderful, counselor. The basilica’s outer walls are decorated with representations of the Divine Mother in every cultural interpretation from around the world – China, Portugal, Indonesia, Ecuador, South Africa – and many more. They are depicted mostly in mosaics, but others are large paintings. Inside the Basilica is a grotto, where the actual visitation is believed to have taken place. Groups come and go all day with priests saying mass for their groups. When we went inside, there were three Greek Orthodox priests who were singing the mass in harmony- they honestly sounded like the three tenors. It was beautiful – we could not have timed it better!

Our Christian educator Dr. Susanne Novak from Nazareth College gave us a lecture about Mary and the various versions as told in the Christian Bible, and also talked about the Jews of that time and their desperate straits. It was a time when a messiah was needed, and the prophecies had been realized in the birth of Jesus. She, a sister of St. Joseph, also was careful to point out that the stories in the Bible are not to be taken literally but to be experienced and felt in the heart.

Our Imam Dr. Mohammed Shafiq spoke of the significance of Mary in the Quran, and some of the differences between the stories.

On our way to Haifa, we stopped for lunch at a Falafel stand, and ate the most delicious falafel I have ever had! We are eating where the locals eat, so we are getting really authentic food. I can’t believe it really did eat the whole thing! So did all of us! Yum!

Off to Haifa, which is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It actually overlooks a large bay and on the other side of the bay is Lebanon. Haifa is the major ort of Israel. The Israeli Navy is al there. Outside the city is a nuclear power plant as well. University of Haifa is one of the finest schools in the world, and it is perched on the top of Mt. Carmel.

The Bahai Temple is also in Haifa. It rises up the hillside of Mt. Carmel with stair steps of symmetrical formal gardens. We visited there, and Dr. Shafiq and another fellow traveler who is a professor of mathematics at Nazareth College as well as a Carmelite priest, told us about the Carmelite order. I must confess my full tummy, the heat, and the lack of sleep made me a very bad student. I hope I didn’t snore.

We also visited the site where Elisha took on the form of Elijah. It is amazing to be in these places we read about in the Bible and see them for themselves. Every rock and tree feels like the Bible stories, although from a distance, it also feels like rural California, dotted with Cypress trees and eucalyptus instead of live oak.

Tonight was the real gift. We were guests of a Druze couple who own a restaurant in a Druze village outside of Haifa.  Druze are Arabs who broke off from Islam and began another version of the religion.  They claim that it is secret, so we will never see the inside of their worship center. They fed us another delicious home-cooked Middle Eastern meal, and I think I am going to pop!

We had an interesting discussion about the end of the world – and our conclusion was just as I often say – the end of the world will come at some point for each of us. What is important is how we live our lives while we are here.

We then asked our host what he thought of Obama’s speech and Netanyahu’s response.  He answered “For forty years this has been going on. We are tired. We want peace. Everybody has to give up something so we can have it at last.”

Our driver, Sammy, who has endeared himself to us, shared his point of view.  “I have lived here all of my life. I am an Arab Christian. I live in the West Bank. I don’t have this democracy that Israel talks about. I am a Palestinian. I do not have a passport, I cannot go anywhere, and I am even disallowed from staying at your kibbutz because I am an Arab. I want this to be settled. American dollars built the separation wall. What kind of democracy is that? There are over a million of us who have no homeland. We are tired. We want peace.”

If the people want peace, why is it that the politicians do not make it happen? Of course I know all the pat answers, but how can this land which has such deep meaning to many religions – not only the three Abrahamic faiths, but many others, find the peace they seek? Our lecturer last night told us the biggest problem is not so much between Arabs, Christians and Jews, but between Jews and Jews – many will not speak to each other! It is a very frustrating process.

Bodies of Water

The road to our kibbutz was going to be blocked off for a bicycle race this morning, so we were told that we had to be out by 6:50 AM. Anyone who knows me well is aware that I am not an early morning person.  I was the first person waiting for the bus at 6:50. Dr. Eisen walked up to the bus stop a few minutes later and told me that we didn’t need to leave until later because the bicyclists had changed the route.  I am learning that the Israelis are as casual about time as the Hawaiians, and that things can change very rapidly around here.

Our driver Sammy, always tells Dr. Eisen that he knows the BEST place to eat good breakfast, good fish, good Arab food, etc. When we get underway, either he can’t find it, or he goes to a place and it is closed, and we drive around looking for food to eat.  We ended up at an Arab bakery after trying two other places, and had pastries, yogurt, and either Arab coffee or tea. It was delicious – we stood in the parking lot eating our breakfast. We are all learning to be flexible.

We drove along the Sea of Galilee with the hillsides where Jesus most definitely walked on one side and the sea on the other.

We drove south to the southernmost point of the Sea of Galilee and stood on the shore of the River Jordan.  The location where we were had built a lovely pavilion and many stair steps leading to the edge of the river so that groups who wanted to be baptized could walk down and have room to stand as each person was immersed in the water.  The river water is a beautiful blue green – it is just leaving the Sea of Galilee when it hits this spot. There were abundant fish in the water – some very large, and the water was very clear. And we watched river otters swim right up to us on the banks, looking at us with utmost curiosity. A group of Christians from Southern India, all dressed in white, were being baptized nearby – singing hymns.

With the rich history of the River Jordan, I was struck by the life that was so evident in the water – given that this was the place where John baptized Jesus, and Jesus was visited by the Holy Spirit – it seems that the life there is a reminder of the living water of the Christ message.

Our next stop was at Capernaum - the site of the excavated ruins of the home believed to have been occupied by St. Peter. The Catholics have built a new sanctuary above the ruins with a glass floor surrounded by a beautiful contemporary iron railing so that one can look down into the ruins themselves. Standing in the sanctuary, one can also see a view of the Sea of Galilee.

We were to have visited the location where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, but it was closed. I was disappointed, since my personal belief is that this is the very core of Jesus’ teaching. I had wanted to feel what it might have been like to sit on a hillside and hear him speak.

We did visit the site where he divided the loaves and the fishes, but it had another church built on the site and it was very crowded and touristy.

Lunch was at a lovely restaurant on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We were served St. Peter’s fish – a whole fish (with head and tail) that had been pan fried with lots of small salad dishes, hummus and pita from the salad bar. It was delicious. We learned later that the fish was Tilapia.

It was time for a ride on a replica of an old boat on the Sea of Galilee. –it was so relaxing to be on the water, and Dr. Eisen pointed out where we were in relation to the coastline.

Off we went from there to meet the Founder of House of Hope – an interfaith peace organization led by a man named Elias Jabbour, an Arab Christian. He has been working all his adult life to bring about peace and understanding for the people of Israel. He teaches a traditional Palestinian Peacemaking process called “Sulha.” He said his childhood had been taken away, as he could not play in the street like other kids, and he was conscripted into the Israeli Army as a young man. He said that separation and policing was not the answer to lasting peace. He wants better for his grandchildren. He, too, said the people of Israel; Arab and Jew, Christian and Druze, want peace. Dr. Jabbour was also very disappointed by Netanyahu’s response to Obama’s speech.

Dinner was in the home of friends of Dr. Eisen, a beautiful couple who graciously opened their home and cooked us an elaborate dinner. We sat and visited for an hour or so after our meal. The wife, Judith, was from Morocco, her husband Rav, was Israeli born and raised on a kibbutz. In the kibbutz, the children are raised collectively – not in a family unit. Judith did not think this was a good idea – she said she felt they were raised to be conscripted into the Army, but not given the warmth and love that only a mother was capable of giving.

The kibbutz is not as popular today as it was when Israel was in its infancy. More people now prefer having their own home to working on a communal farm.

Getting back to the room with heavy eyelids after another very long day –

Sunday – the other Sabbath

We have been filling up each day to overflowing. This day was different. We slowed things down and found more time to relax and get off schedule a bit. We rose later in the morning, and left the kibbutz around 9:00 off to spend the morning at Mt. Tabor.  On the way, we found a Bedouin Restaurant for breakfast. Bedouins are Arabs, who were nomadic people throughout the mid east. Many of them still live in Jordan but there are a small number who live in Israel.  The restaurant was perched on the slopes of Mt. Tabor in a village called Deboreah – named after the Prophetess Deborah from the Hebrew Bible.  She was a warrior goddess and a judge who held court at the city gates centuries ago.

On the floor were cushions from one end of the restaurant to the other, covered with dhurrie style rugs and small pillows. Between the rows of cushions were large raised trays upon which the servers would place the food.  And there was food – after feasting on all the typical Mediterranean salads, hummus and so forth, out came the baklava, which was the owner’s gift to us.  Little did he know that the first customers on his Sunday morning would be a bus full of Americans.

Up the mountain we drove to a point where we were taken the rest of the way on very narrow roads with switchbacks by Arab Christian drivers who knew how to mange their every turn in smaller VW vans. At the top was Terra Santa. Chapter 9 of Luke tells of the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mt. Tabor. John and Peter who made their way to the top of this mountain with Jesus witnessed it. The richest part of this was attending a mass that was being said in Italian.  The priest looked like a cross between John the Baptist and Jesus, and the chanting and energy was absolutely stirring! it's interesting about the mass - wherever one is in the world, whatever language is spoken, it is the same - and in that it brings people together in community. This is one of the things I love so about interfaith understanding. There is richness in every tradition when we look past whatever the politics or world effects may be and we move into that which connects us.

There is so much more I can write about, but this is so long and I am weary.

Days One, Two and Three

Day One

According to the clock on my computer, it’s 4:45 AM California time. Which is 2:45 PM Wednesday afternoon in Turkey. We have less than three hours to go before landing in Istanbul.

I am forever grateful to the travel agent who landed me a bulkhead aisle seat in front of the bathrooms where I could get up anytime and stretch. The seats recline like a LaZBoy, so I have actually slept and awakened without the pain of a contortionist.

Here is what you get in economy on Turkish Airlines. A clean pillow, a clean blanket wrapped in sealed plastic, a little kit with socks, eyeshade and lip balm. A bag of hazelnuts (not pretzels), A bottle of water, a choice of HOT entrée served on a ceramic plate.  After flying American, United, and Continental frequently in the US where I’m lucky to get a can of diet Coke, this is the lap of luxury!

At the moment we’re over the English Channel. We flew north out of LA over Fargo, N. Dakota, into Canada, staying south of Greenland and Iceland. We’re now curving south to cross Europe and into Istanbul.

Most of the passengers are either Turkish or are making connections on to other Middle Eastern cities. The young woman next to me is a graduate in Finance from USC, going home to Iran to see her father. She has not lived there for over ten years. She moved to the US with her mother and then went to college. She worked for a couple of years after graduating from high school, and then went on to college.

I’ve been reading one of the recommended books for this trip – Crossing Mandelbaum Gate by Kai Bird. The author grew up in an American diplomatic family in Israel in the 50’s and 60’s. He writes from the point of view of a Christian child observing the changes taking place as the Israelis asserted their claim upon the land, and the Palestinians grew more marginalized. He writes about real life people that his diplomat father and mother knew and entertained, and the experiences they had living in a country seeking its identity with the interplay of American political interventions, and the Arabic countries surrounding Israel attempting to keep a stronghold on borders that were in continual flux. He writes of what it was like to be school child living in the Arabic quarter of Jerusalem, going to a Christian school, and making friends with families of every religion in a country that had

All the names are there – Abba Eban, Golda Meir, Abdul Nasser,  David Ben Gurion, and Moshe Dayan  of the six day war fame. It is very descriptive of the entire Middle East, as his family also lived in Saudi Arabia for several yars.

I want to keep my own mind as open as possible to see the complexity of the fragile peace process taking place in Israel and the surrounding borders right now. It seems to be that although American sentiment has been and continues to be in support of the Israelis, the Israelis cannot let go of any action that has ever happened in the short history of their country, and therefore tend to keep the conflict alive and keep retaliation for any act of aggression as overwhelming as possible.

However, I have never been to Israel, and I can only imagine what it must be like to live in a country the size of New Jersey surrounded by people who politically do not want you to exist.

How does one solve a challenge like that? Will I have any more clarity after being there? Can I play a role in any way to bring about a peaceful understanding of the issues when I get home?

Day 2 Istanbul to Tel Aviv

Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is a mega mall!  AS I had a six-our wait there, I had a chance to peruse the many shops – both duty free or not. I also enjoyed a delicious Turkish meal and sat at a table with a beautiful woman who now lives in Cincinnati, but was raised in northwest Iran – she was a professor of English Literature who recently left her position at Kansas State University as she and her husband moved to Ohio. She hopes to find a position at the U of Cincinnati. She and her four month old baby boy were traveling to Tabriz, Iran to see her parents.  We had a most interesting conversation about the misconceptions people have of middle easterners. 

She said she had been raised Muslim, but does not practice anymore. She said she views God as bigger than one religion, and that she sees people such as Gandhi, Buddha and Jesus as her heroes – people to emulate but not to worship. She was resentful that while she is back in Iran she will be required to dress with a headscarf, and deal with the suppression of women that is taking place there. She had a very low opinion of Achminijad (sp?), feeling that he and the Ayatollahs have done much to ruin the country.

After wandering the malls of the airport, and waiting for my gate to open for check-in, the flight finally took off at approximately 12:45 AM, arriving in Tel Aviv around 2 AM.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport has a very clean, sparse and somewhat cold feeling after the hodge podge energy of Istanbul. The attitude of people was also very different. The people on my flight to Istanbul were very relaxed, very friendly, very easy going. Most of he people on my flight to Israel acted as though they were on a mission. Getting off the plane was a crush. I sat in my seat for a lon period of time holidng my arm up next to my face because there was a man with a big camera bag standing in the aisle oblivious to the fact that he had hit me in the head two or three times. When I was able to walk off the place and on to  the waiting bus to take me to the terminal, and young man very politely assisted me with my bag which in the atmophpere was a major act of kindness. Inside the halls of the airport, no one spoke – they all walked as though they had an urgent appointment. I kept wondering “where does one go in such a hurry at 2 AM?” Thankfully customs and baggage were easy and efficient and I was out the door in into a taxi in short order. Arriving at the hotel, the driver had to clear security - a flashlight was shone into my face and I was asked what I was going to do there. They must have been satisfied with my answer, and they allowed us to pass.

My hotel, the “Sadot” was actually on the third floor of a major hospital. It had a very Euro-modern feel, and was so comfortable. I got to bed around 3:30 AM, and slept until nearly 11:00. I took one of those showers that feels as though you have sloughed off weeks worth of sweat and skin cells, and felt so refreshed to get into clean clothes.

Thus Began the Israel Adventure

I arrived back at the Ben Gurion airport to meet my group.  As I waited in the receiving area, I found our driver, Sammy. He is short and a bit portly, with a beard and glasses. Sort of an Israeli Santa Claus. It took a while for our group to get through customs, and out to our area. But we joined one another and off we went to drive to the Galillee area, and check into our Kibbutz. On the way, we saw many Arab villages, part of the wall along the West Bank, and signs posted pointing to Jersualem, Nazareth, and to get to our kibbutz, we were on the road to Damascus. We also passed by the area which is known to be the place where Armageddon is to begin. Interestingly enough, it didn’t happen last Saturday. So it looked like a very peaceful valley – crops growing, even fields of sunflowers! Not too ominous.

Our group checked in and off we went to our respective rooms. They to shower, and I since I had been refreshed with a good sleep and shower, to get organized a bit.

We then met a man named Rabbi Marc Rosenstein, an American who has been living in Israel for the past forty years. His mission is to educate both Arab and Jewish people about getting along together. His organization is called the Galilee Foundation, and one of the ways he does this is by having Arab and Jewish children learn to do circus acts. He says, “It’s about overcoming fear, and it’s about trust. It’s based on non-verbal communication, it represents a multi cultural tradition – and its purpose is to make people smile.” Learn more at www.eng.makom-bagalil.org.il

Off we went to an absolutely fabulous dinner at an Arab restaurant with all kinds of wonderful dips – hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, other things I do not know the names of, but that were yummy, fresh home baked pita bread, and kabobs. We findihed with Moroccan Mint tea, and off we went to bed.

My room – I would rank it one step less than the ashram in India. The bed is a flat slab of foam. The hot water does work, and the shower was adequate. I discovered these little flying bugs in the room which seem to especially like the lights in the bathroom, and the mosquitoes, which liked to buzz bomb me until I applied my trusty Off wipes and left the dry cloth on my pillow for extra protection. No bites for me – but in this part of the world, the birds don’t seem to know that they are to be quiet until morning, so they began at 3 AM. Since I went to sleep just past midnight, this was a short night.

Day Three

Now it’s 7:15 AM and it’s time for breakfast. Today we go to Nazareth- then to a Basilica, then tonight to a Druze Village where we will learn about the Druze people and be hosted for a dinner. Then back to the kibbutz for a restful night’s sleep (my affirmation).

Floating in Mid-Air

The love fest at Seal Beach Center for Spiritual Living took me into an altered state. I am feeling a continual sense of gratitude for the incredible turnout of people, the wonderful words spoken, the inspiring music of Diane, Chelsea, and Faith, and the outpouring of hugs and love. I truly felt like I was floating on the ceiling! It was validation for the work I have chosen in my life.
One of the best things about ministry (and there are many wonderful things about it) is that I have had the sacred gift of very intimate and personal moments with so many people. Many of the couples whom I married were in the room yesterday, reminding me of the number of years they have been together. When I do a wedding, they work! There were young people there whom I had baptized, not to mention two of my most recent little ones - both Ryker and Jianna. There were people who have shared their hearts with tears in their eyes saying "thank you" for what came through us as we had explored their issues and challenges together.
In the daily work of ministry, one often forgets how precious those moments are. I, too,  often wondered if I was doing enough, or if I could have done more. Now I know it was enough. I am grateful for having learned that we are all enough for now - and we all have room to grow.
When I got home yesterday, Don was having lunch with my dad at his residence, so the house was empty. It seemed especially empty and quiet after all the festivities. I sat down for a moment, read the many thoughtful messages on the cards I had received, then changed my clothes and did the laundry! Just like the book Jack Kornfeld wrote - After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.

Since today was the first day of my "rewirement," when I woke up this morning, I said to Don, "So many people are getting up to go to work today, and I'm not!" It really hit me that I have retired, and although my ministry is my life work, it is different knowing that I do not have office hours, nor do I have scheduled meetings, at least for now.

This day has been spent doing the last preparations for my departure to Istanbul tomorrow. Don and I did take time out to walk in the park and see young hawks practicing flight while their watchful parents soared overhead. Baby coots were carefully fed and tended by their parents in the pond, not to mention countless quacking ducks who were happy to eat the chicken scratch that Don takes with him whenever he goes for a walk.
I feel so alive, and so excited anticipating this trip and my return home to begin a new phase of life.

I depart at 5:55 tomorrow from LAX direct to Istanbul, which will take fourteen hours. Six hours later, I will board a flight to Tel Aviv, where I will arrive at 2 AM, go to a hotel nearby, sleep and shower, returning to the Tel Aviv airport at 2:00 PM to meet the group arriving from New York. We begin our adventure at a kibbutz (Mizra).

I will be adding to this blog whenever I can access WiFi long enough to post, and hope to be able to provide some photos along the way. Rev. Josh will be my liaison for the blog, and you can also email me (no forwards, please), as I will have my Blackberry. PLEASE DO NOT PHONE ME as calls overseas are very costly. Also, there is a ten hour time difference, so if you call me at 5:00 PM, it is 3 AM in Israel. I am not friendly at 3 AM.

Join with me in knowing that Spirit is the constant in each of our lives, and that all of us are safely enfolded in the Divine Love and Guidance that we can always trust. May we also know that the peace process in Israel and Palestine is working, and that true agreement can be realized for a lasting peace.
Love to you all,
Blessings,
Peggy