From 1953 to 1981 a silver haired woman calling herself only "Peace Pilgrim" walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." In the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound. It continues to inspire people all over the world:

"This is the way of peace:
Overcome evil with good,
and falsehood with truth,
and hatred with love."

She has been called a prophet, a mystic, a saint, and a person who walked her talk. Her message was not new, but practicing it was. Here was someone who had relinquished all earthly possessions to live a focused life based upon spiritual truths and immutable principles.

She was original in the sense that she gave her message only after she had tested, verified and demonstrated its efficacy in her own life. She had found the "kingdom within" and lived to share it with others. She has been described as "a gentle, soothing, spiritual tornado" whose simple, direct message delivered a compelling challenge to conscience. A friend from India wrote that "it was not the scholar's erudition that spoke through her, but the saint's imprisoned splendor, released in its full effulgence for three decades."

What was also unique about the Peace Pilgrim was that she was the living example of the potential that can be unleashed when someone is fully engaged in doing what they believe is the most important thing in the world for them to be doing. She believed people only scratched the surface of their real potential. To everyone who came in contact with her, she was living proof that changing your life was possible. She lived the change she wanted to see. Her own life said, "You can do it too!"

She lived by faith, and by the energy of her own Inner Light. She has been called a 20th century St. Francis of Assisi, and is often compared to Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Like them, she had "a peaceful heart, and a warrior's spirit." But unlike them, she had no political organization, no religious institution, and no specific cause or people to champion. The whole world was her cause and wherever she walked, she called it home. She felt at ease everywhere she went and she lived so completely in the present moment. She is probably the 20th century's most underrated and least known spiritual teacher and peace advocate.

For more information about Peace Pilgrim, visit PeacePilgrim.org