Brenda Kay Art Blog

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Today is a very exciting day for the team. We arrived in Atlanta night before last

and will be moving into the first permanent home that the Trail of Dreams team have known for three and a half years. Miracles certainly do happen - they managed to secure a truly beautiful, spacious rental home that fits all of their needs now and into the future. I have

only been travelling for 2 months but I too feel the relief of some permanancy for the coming few weeks of my stay here in the States.

Our next port of call after Hampton, Virginia was Durham in North Carolina. After pulling up and falling out of the car along with various bits of luggage, we made our way up to our accommodation in another University dormatory. It was Spring break so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The next day, March 11th, we began our Durham programme with a wonderful lunch at an African restaurant called “know” book store.

The food was absolutely delicious, especially the chicken and bean pie so we had a very solid meal to energise us for the community walk. The walk began at City Hall where Audri was presented with yet another citation and March 11th was officially declared World Peace Walk Day.

There was a small but very dedicated group waiting to walk with us. Some of them seemed disappointed that more people didn’t come out on this beautiful spring day to join us but it needs to be remembered that it isn’t the quantity of walkers but the quality of the intent

that the those who do walk carry with them. Walking in a smaller group also allows us to

connect more deeply with those who join us and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly and deeply friendships can form.

The walk ended at a Caribbean restaurant where we were once again royaly treated to a magnificent meal. I have so enjoyed trying all the wonderful tastes available in the US that have been brought here by so many different cultures. This was another opportunity to sit with the locals and discuss the work achieved by the spiritual community as well as to

share our stories of the Trail. I especially enjoyed the company of a lovely man called Tony Aidoo who ended up being a brilliant speaker. We had the pleasure of his oratory at the Interfaith ceremony organised for us that same evening.

I really love the interfaith occasions - it is such a joy to have all faiths and belief systems coming together for a common purpose. At the end of the day, it is always so obvious that we all want the same things in life and that Love and Peace is the top of everyone’s hit parade. I have asked myself so many times during this walk “If everyone wants the same
thing why is it so hard to achieve it? What are we afraid of?” This question brings forth

the obvious answer “Fear is the only thing that stands in the way of Peace”. Certainly Peace as things stand at the present time is in the hands of Governments and all Powers That Be and
they are very interested in keeping us in fear, so for real change to take place on Earth, it

must surely come from the common people. We can no longer believe that we need to be afraid of each other. We can no longer believe that Peace is in anyone else’s hands but our own. It is time to “be” the Peace that we all long for by living the life that we were born

to lead - whatever you percieve that to be, and to experience joy in the process of life,

Well, time to move into our new home, so until next time,

Peace,
Brenda

Spring is definitely in the air over here now. At the moment it is raining and quite cold (about 7 degrees) but on the days of sunshine, it has been quite warm during the day - up to about 20 degrees.

I am writing this in a beautiful cabin in the woods beside a peaceful lake. What a blessing to be here in this peaceful setting for three whole days. It has been some time since I was able to catch up with the latest news for these pages because we have either been busy with programmes in various towns, traveling or in quite remote areas were we have not been
able to use wireless network.

This I’m afraid will be a short offering because time is against me yet again, but I did want to make a posting while I had a small window of opportunity.

Resuming the story where I left off, we finally said goodbye to Audri’s family in Virginia after several cosy days were we felt so nurtured and loved. It was very hard to leave I can tell you. The day before we left, it was time to renew our contract on the people mover (SVU they call it here) Expecting Audri to return with the same vehicle, we were horrified when she came into the drive in a large car! There was a factory recall on the SVU and the only vehicle Avis had available in that yard was a Mercury Grand Marquis. It’s a large car but a car nonetheless. Now, imagine the gang, all six of us plus a wheelchair plus the accumulated

luggage of a three and a half year pilgrimage plus technical equipment - laptops, camera gear, etc. plus food for the road plus, plus, plus all in a car.

It was quite a sight I can tell you. The boot was masterfully packed by Paul who works pure magic in seemingly shrinking everything to fit.

Somehow he squeezed our luggage and the Natalie’s wheelchair in the boot and all the computers, cameras, and various other smaller bits and bits were placed on the ground beside the open doors. We all took our places, poor Karen was the worst off as she rode in the middle of the front seat on top of the seat belt buckles. I gave her my pillow to sit on so that

eased the way for her. Paul then proceeded to pack all the remainder of our “stuff” under our legs, between each person and finally on our laps until we were up to our chins in bags of all shapes and sizes. There was a lot that didn’t fit, so we shed our bulky winter gear and anything else that wasn’t absolutely necessary and our gracious host Jeffrey, sent it on to Atlanta.

Finally, as Paul shut each door, we all breathed in and leaned inwards until the door closed then we could relax. We laughed and laughed the whole way. Thank goodness we saw the funny side of all this, or maybe it was just hysteria setting in. It was even funnier when we had to pull over which was as little as possible because as soon as the doors opened stuff was spilling out onto the ground and we had to juggle whatever was left on our laps to step over everything. More hilarity - I don’t think I have laughed so much in my life. It was fun, but really tiring traveling like this.

We were so very grateful to see the end of the road. When I think back on this trip, I have to say that I think I will remember these cramped journeys with the most fondness.

Time has escaped me for the moment, so I will have to continue another day - very soon I

hope.

Peace,
Brenda

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The day after my last posting was a Wednesday and we all trooped back to Washington to a very important meeting. We had been invited to the United States Institute of Peace. This is a congretional advisory mob to the President and his personal aide along with several other dignitaries were present. Unfortunately, this was a smaller affair than they had hoped

because the majority of the the people were deep in discussion and debate in the next room due to a (real or perceived) North Korean nuclear threat that had surfaced the day before.

It was still a very powerful experience for us knowing that our voices were heard with great respect at such a level. We were given so much encouragement to continue our work and we left with invitations to return and an ongoing association with this dedicated team. They are currently building new headquarters and we discussed the idea of a return for their
grand opening in 11/11. I might have to make it back here for that one!

On the same evening we were interviewed for another radio station at a Washington University. This one serves the Washington/Baltimore/Maryland area. We had a 30 minute spot so there was only time for 2 members to be interviewed so Audri and Karen stepped up for that one. Paul, Tony and I sat quietly in the background lending moral support. The presenter was very professional and the interview flowed really well.

Back to Washington again on Thursday, this time for an interview with Washington Times. Our interviewer was very, very young……now I don’t know if it’s just that I am getting older, but it seems like 20 year olds are looking more and more like 16 to me. Maybe he just had a baby face?

In any case, he was a fantastic interviewer and he asked really great questions, always double checked his quotes and I think he will do a great job on the article.

Look forward to reading it.

The next day, we packed and moved to Hampton, Virginia to a cousin of Audri’s. Gilda, Jeff and their sons Jason and Gerard have been so very gracious in opening their magnificent home and their hearts to us. It has been a truly beautiful round of family get togethers ever since we arrived here. To be in the presence of the love and warmth of Audri’s family has

been such a joy to us, especially those of us who are a very long way from our own homes. Now I know how Audri can feel confident to make the great leaps forward that she has into the world - with this level of support and love behind you, anything is possible. To me this is what Peace is about at a grass roots level. Openness, loving, sharing, acceptance no matter

what within families first, then reaching out with these qualities into communities, the environment and then beyond to embrace the world. We are all capable of creating Peace in our own unique way…..one step at a time!

This part of Audri’s family was Mama Natalie’s 2 sisters, Audri and Eleanor and their children and grandchildren. On our very first meeting at Elly’s house, the whole family had gathered to welcome us for an evening meal. They had made a lovely “Welcome Home” sign and it was

definitely a party atmosphere. As I have already mentioned, Natalie has Alzheimer’s so she was initially unaware of the love and attention heaped on her especially by her loving sisters. About an hour or so after we arrived and while everyone was around she had an extremely rare moment of lucidity and said loudly “this is my family!!!” and she laughed out loud.

Let me tell you there was not a dry eye in the house!

The week since we arrived here has been luxuriously calm and easy. We all really needed the rest and to gather our ourselves before the next big round of events culminating in a huge fanfare and party at the end of the walk in Atlanta.

Apart from catching up with odd jobs, each of us working on various tasks such as trying to find affordable or free accommodation between here and Atlanta, Georgia (that’s my job), contacting Universities and other establishments who might be interested in having us give presentations and organizing transport and various other needs as we move forward. It is

quite a task just to be on the road and the logistics can be mind boggling at times. Accommodation can be particularly tricky because we need to be accommodated together. It really does require the whole team to help out with Natalie and make this walk happen but apart from that, it is very important not to break the group energy.

If anyone out there reading this has family or friends or know of any possibilities for

accommodation etc. in the areas we will be travelling,particularly Raleigh/Durham in North Carolina, Columbia in South Carolina, and Atlanta in Georgia, please let me know.

We did manage to do our usual work during the week and this included community service at

“The Healthy Connection” www.thehealthyconnection.com . This is a whole foods and teaching centre focused on community health and nutrition. We worked at adding wheels to metal shelving so that the shop can be condensed to create more space for courses on health

and wellness. This is nutrition month over here so it was a very appropriate task.

Last Monday we had some significant snow and it was way below freezing again so we went to a huge indoor stadium on Tuesday with Audri’s Aunty Elly and Uncle Reuben. They are both in their 80’s and go to this venue every day through winter for their exercise. It has a full sized running track around 4 basketball courts as well as long jump and high jump areas

on one side of the building and goodness knows what else on the equally huge other side. We walked about 3-4 miles around and around in circles which sounds boring, but there were lots of other people coming and going as well to talk to - it is really quite a social thing.

That same day, we drove to Virginia Beach to the Edgar Cayce centre. As “luck” would have it, we arrived in time to attend a lecture on Re-incarnation. Karen asked a question about a Queen that she had read about in Edgar Cayce’s writings who, in the 3rd century AD had all

references to re-incarnation removed from Christian texts. The lecturer was unable to recall any such writings by Cayce but Karen, being Karen, went to the library on completion of the lecture to see if she could research it for herself. Not only did she find the book she was looking for but also the author!!! He is a specialist in Biblical history and just happened to in the library that day. In his words, “this place is synchronicity city”.

There is such a beautiful peaceful energy at this wonderful centre and we took our time to just relax into the place and enjoy the bookshop and all the facilities including a garden with a peace pole. It was so very cold, we didn’t linger here - just grouped around it for a photo before leaping back into the warm car to go back home.

On Thursday, we headed back to Virgina Beach to a centre for profoundly disabled adults - Skill Quest. What a fabulous group of people they were there. Amazingly committed and dedicated individuals forming a compassionate team working to educate and employ their clients. A measure of the success of this group is that their employees stay for long

periods. The most recent member of team joined 3 years ago. We gave them a presentation of what we were doing and how our experiences of Natalie’s presence on the walk has positively affected all who come in contact with us. Really, we just wanted to congratulate each and every one and thank them for their pioneering work.

Yesterday was an awesome day especially for Karen and I. We had been invited each night to a different family member’s home so Karen and I decided that we would like to cook for them. We spent the entire day shopping and cooking. It was wonderful not only to return the favour but to spend an entire day doing familiar, fun and comforting things.

Creating food is such a beautiful way to honour and share with those we love. We will leave here in a day or so feeling that we have left behind “family” and know we have a home to come to if we ever return.

So precious.

Today is sunny and the temperature has soared into the 20’s (celcius) and we are just in t-shirts. Go figure this weather!!!!!

Peace,

Brenda

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Well, now I know what they are talking about over here when they say “going to the mall”. It is a very different shopping experience than at home Last Monday was spent catching up a little with mail, cleaning up and other “housekeeping” tasks. It felt so good to do some “normal” activities and relax into the day. In the afternoon we went with some of Audri’s family to “the mall”. I don’t know how to begin an account of this shopping experience. The first WOW factor came with the sheer size of the place. It probably would cover the size of the whole of my suburb back on Bribie Island and indeed it is rather like an indoor city.

The shops are corralled in an enormous circular formation with the façades of the major stores jutting out at intervals to help you choice which entry you want to use into this wonderland of consumerism. Once inside, the outside world, the weather, the drabness of everyday life is behind you and this becomes your glorious, colourful, comfortable reality.

As you wander through this giant circle, you will find every conceivable stimulus and any possible want can be filled. It would be so very easy to become addicted to shopping here. Speaking for myself, I was engulfed in sensory overload after the first half hour or so, but I was determined to hang in there for the full experience. I have a whole new benchmark now of what shopping can mean.

Insert of Washington Post Video Coverage.

Wednesday was to be our first day in Washington DC so on Tuesday we travelled into this beautiful, cosmopolitan city to get the feel of the place and to drive through the area where we were going to do our community walk en route to the White House as well as set our intention and place our energy there ahead of the event. We have a wonderful contact, Edith, who is a publicist and on hearing about the Trail of Dreams, began working with us to get the message “out there”. She managed to talk to someone at the Washington Post (a major US newspaper) and we were to be interviewed during our walk so we all wanted to be well
prepared.

So Wednesday arrived and we were all so excited.

This particular day meant so much to Audri and Karen particularly because it represented in a way the culmination of their journey. They have undertaken this trek in order to educate people and be educated in directions towards a Peaceful future for this planet. Bringing this

energy and intention on home to the very seat of power in their home country was an enormous event for them especially in view of the recent election of Obama and all he stands for.The day was bitter cold! Sleet and high winds beat at the car on the 45 minute drive from Baltimore to DC but as we arrived,, the wind dropped considerably, the sleet gave up and while it was well below freezing, at least we were relatively dry as we walked. It was much too cold to consider taking Mama Natalie out of the car, so either Tony or Audri stayed in the car with her and followed along the route towards the White House. We made it in double quick time - we had to walk really fast just to keep warm. We were handing out flyers as we walked with our flags to advertise the benefit concert scheduled for Friday night. We were all

amazed at how enthusiastic people were about it. Unfortunately, this didn’t bear out on the night as there was a fairly small audience but those that came were very enthusiastic and supportive.

We met a Washington Past reporter and photographer half way along the walk at 16th Street which is the one that heads right on down to the White House at the “T” junction at the end. The reporter was absolutely fascinated by the commitment and sheer determination it took for The Team to travel for such a long period of time AND with Mama Natalie. She took

notes as we walked and she obviously thoroughly enjoyed every minute. On our arrival at the White House, photos were taken as we gathered in a circle for a prayer of thanks and we talked further to our reporter who seemed actually quite reluctant to leave. The article came out the next day 19th Feb. and can be viewed on-line at www.washingtonpost.com

There was quite an interesting moment when security police came over to us with a very serious look on his face. As it turned out, we were standing quite close to the fence and a couple of times Paul, who was standing closest with one of our flags, bumped the top of the fence. Apparently, he was setting off alarms inside the White House……..now there’s something to tell his grandchildren!

Before the reporter left, she called another colleague who is responsible for creating news videos for the Washington Post We had to wait about 20 minutes for him to arrive and we all just about frozen by the time he came but it was so worth it. He did a fantastic job and the video is also available at www.washingtonpost.com On the home page put “peace” into the

search box and you will see “Walk for Peace in DC” listed. This lovely man was very excited about our story and said “You don’t realize it now, but you are making history with this walk”. We talked about all the Peace Makers of the past, such as Ghandi and how they made their demonstration of Peace by walking.

As we made our way back to the car, we passed what I thought was a plastic sheet over an object of some sort surrounded by posters about World Peace. What we didn’t realize was that there was an elderly woman actually living under the plastic and she has sat in this same spot in protest for over 20 years. I felt like I have been making a statement for Peace, but my small contribution paled into insignificance in comparison to thiswoman’s sacrifice and commitment. She has a team of friends who bring her food and generally keep an eye on her, but she makes this statement alone and with Love. She came out of her meagre shelter for a

time to talk to us and it was very humbling to have stood in her presence.

Her energy was so full of Love as she hugged us all and sent us off with words of  encouragement for the path ahead. Certainly put things in perspective.

That was such a powerful day. The one following, Thursday, was equally powerful but in a different way. It was time for us to move on from the house where we were staying so we needed to sort and pack all of our belongings. This wasn’t such a big task for me and my “stuff” as I only have a relatively short journey and I am travelling light. It is a much greater event for the rest of team because they also carry their accumulated memorabilia and equipment as well as Mama Natalie’s gear. As you can imagine, the house looked and felt chaotic and it was as if were sitting in a vortex of energy surrounded by swirling, moving, objects and

at the same time, the phone kept ringing with news of feedback from the Washington Post article. A publisher rang wanting rights to the book of the walk, a national radio station requested an interview with us (that’s happening today), there were invitations of all sorts including some extremely exciting ones that I won’t share with you all at this point
until and if they actually come to fruition. Suffice to say, that the word is out and if we

thought it was busy up to this point, it will look like a walk in the park compared to what’s coming.

We arrived here at our friends Nefertiti and Ricardo’s home in the evening, all totally  xhausted and reeling with all the news and effort of shifting and so very grateful to have

arrived at a beautiful, peaceful space. We are still in Baltimore, but Washington is only a short drive so an easy hop to complete our Washington DC programme.

Friday started with a well deserved sleep in before our usual Friday midday radio programme. Audri interviewed Nefertiti who is a veteran of the Trail of Dreams and long term Peace Maker. She read one of her poems and apparently the entire studio clapped and cheered in appreciation. The name of the poem is “Ode to the spoken word Weavas and Divas” and is from her book called “When Divas Laugh” by the diva squad poetry collective.
It is available via “Black Classic Press”.

We moved on then to Perry School. This elementary school is one of a few who run a Peace programme and they have a Peace room at the school where they hold teachings and activities related to peace. This particular school services an area very high with incidence of violence so it is especially gratifying to know that these young people from 5 to 12 are

learning what Peace is and what it means to them as individuals as well as their families and communities. As we talked to them, we realized they have very sophisticated ideas and ideals. One girl about 12 years old when asked to share what breaks her Peace said with deep conviction “NOTHIN” I wanted to applaud and indeed we did all applaud these children and the visionaries of this fantastic programme which has been going for 23 years. We left with so much hope in our hearts for imminent change. In another 10 to 20 years, these young people will be in a position to create a new world. From what we were hearing, they are
already creating changes in the thinking of their families and friends so our Love goes to them all.

In the evening, we attended a Trail of Dreams benefit concert. WOW!!!

There were some amazing performers on stage and they came from all over to help us out with fund-raising. They offered their services for free and even the auditorium at a Washington University was offered free of charge.

What a blessing! One of the performers is an Hawaiian singer/songwriter called Mikuak Rai who will be giving the Team all proceeds from the sale of his song “Peace Together Peace”. He actually toured Australia recently and spent time on the Sunshine Coast - if only I knew! If you are interested in purchasing this beautiful song, it is available through his
Facebook page.

On Saturday, we met with another Walker for Peace called Danny Garcia. He has been doing walks all over the world for the last 12 years. He walked a few years ago at the time of the Melbourne Olympics across the Nullabour and into Melbourne to participate in the Olympic celebrations. He was such an interesting man and it was wonderful for Audri and Karen to talk to someone who truly understands what it means to undertake this walk. They even have mutual friends met along their walks in various countries. He has made such a huge contribution to the effort and also to our group as he gave us tips and contacts and invaluable advice.; We had a really solid walk with him and while I must confess to struggling somewhat to keep up the pace, I am proud to say that I managed to complete the walk

without falling behind. I know this was a relatively easy for them and they made it look like a doddle, but still I hold my head up high.

That night there was another interfaith service at St. Stephen’s cathedral in Washington. We had some very interesting speakers and performers and yet again, I was given the opportunity to read Aunty Minnie’s message to the people of Turtle Island (America). This night, Audri was especially in good form and gave the most powerful,passionate and eloquent speech.

The audience was very moved and spontaneously leapt to their feet applauding at the end. Karen also sang the song she wrote on the trail and it was also incredibly moving. She has such a gorgeous voice and her sweet song is very infectious - we all keep singing it at different times - just can’t get it out of our heads and hearts. She is hoping to record

this song as soon as possible so that also will be available to the public., Sunday was truly a day of rest. Most of us didn’t leave the house, we just flopped about all day. Everyone in the house - all 8 decided they  wanted to be attuned to Reiki, so I spent a large part of the day giving attunements. It was a very relaxing but also very powerful experience.

We bonded in a very dynamic way - yet another level of connection between us creating greater capacity to emanate Light and Healing to Earth.

Yesterday, Monday, we went to a radio interview with a station that will go out all over America. Only Audri was interviewed this time as there was only room for 2 inside the booth but we all went along to support whatever work needed doing. Audri is such a powerful spokesperson for the group and I know that whatever she says will be well received.

This was followed by a stop at a typical American diner - we were all really hungry so we had a good very late lunch.

We had been invited to Audri’s cousin’s home for “snacks” but we were unprepared for the fact that to these beautiful and incredibly hospitable people “snacks” meant tray after tray of wonderful goodies followed by a huge seafood pasta and then a homemade French pear and chocolate desert!!!!! After bringing out each new tray, she would say “don’t you all fill up now!” implying that there was a lot more to come! We just about rolled out of the house and
into the car at the end of our visit. Apparently this is very typical of southern hospitality so

I resolved to be better prepared next time.

Today went very much the same way We were invited to an Indian all you can eat vegetarian

restaurant. Oh my goodness,! Was it good! It was one of those eating experiences when each mouthful transports you on angel’s wings to a place so far above and beyond that you lose all sense of fullness of belly. What a treat!!

We went on to visit more of Audr’s family, this time an Uncle - such a lovely man and yet again were treated with typical southern hospitality and more “snacks”. Really, it would have

caused great offence to refuse, so we somehow managed to oblige So much for being better prepared! The others put on their walking shoes and headed out for a long walk when we
arrived back here at Nef and Ricardo’s place but unfortunately, I have been banned from

walking until a painful blister on my right heel heals.

I had better catch up with a lot more walking before I hit those southern states!

Peace,
Brenda

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“When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars,

Then Peace will guide the planets and Love will steer the stars.
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius”.

The words to this prophetic song from the musical “Hair” written some 40 years ago came to fuition on Saturday. We just happened to be facilitating a Peace Forum in Baltimore when the above planetary alignment occurred at midday and it was Valentine’s Day! We didn’t know about it until we arrived at the forum and were blown away at the perfection of the timing

of this major event. It is the first time ever that this alignment has taken place. We stopped proceedings at 10 to midday and held a dynamic meditation linking to everyone else in the world who was sitting in circle and focusing on Peace for our Planet.

At this point I will please beg your patience. I would love to be in a position to blog more frequently, but the pace at which we are moving is so frantic, opportunities are very few and far between. We finally have a rest day to catch up so here we go……….

I will pick up the story the day after Philadelphia, last Wednesday. In the morning we did a fantastic community walk through the ghetto area of Baltimore. As we walk we carry two flags, the world Peace flag and another representing the flags of all nations - this really lets people know that there is something special going on. We also circle up before the walk and focus on walking every step with the intention that the energy of Peace, Love and Light travels through us and into the Earth and out into the whole area.

We were a very mixed group of various nationalities and skin colours so as we walked through the streets, it was wonderful to see the faces of the people change from bewilderment to amazement to huge smiles and calls of encouragement. Without exception, people are interested and supportive and often will join us for a bit to find out more. That day in

particular, the energy was just so uplifting and we all felt that we were carried on a magic carpet. I just love that personal connection to ordinary people in their streets and close to their homes. It makes this work very real to me - going beyond lip service and truly walking my talk.

That night we attended an interfaith service once again at “One God, One Thought” church. There were leaders from various faiths - Hindu, Buddhist, an Egyptian sect, Christianity and Ifa (an indigenous faith from Nigeria). All of these leaders were in total agreement that what we are endeavouring to achieve is not just about one God (in whatever form that means to the individual), not just about one Thought, but about One Heart and it is the heart to heart connection we make to others that brings us all together as a human family.

The Ifa faith was represented by both a Priest and Priestess. As soon as s the Priestess, Mami Omistaya, and I looked at each other we felt a very strong soul connection and we just couldn’t wait to hug and catch up. It felt as if we had always known each other and couldn’t work out were the other had been all our lives. We managed to have a couple of minutes

together, but with obligation and protocol taking precedence, we had to be content with arranging to catch up on Friday evening at a movie presentation but more on that later.

This was such a fantastic event for us and we all felt so supported by the entire community. It was so very confirming and encouraging and gives us the impetus to keep going knowing that our work makes sense in real terms to the people and the places we go to spreading our messages of Peace.

I woke up on Thursday morning feeling very off colour.

Not exactly sick, but not well enough to join the others in a community walk through the

prisons area of Baltimore. They had a fantastic experience on this walk - there were opportunities for impromptu discussion circles as people joined the walk. There was a young man in particular who had a history of imprisonment in these very prisons and was able to give account of his experiences which of course reflect the lives many young people caught in gang warfare and drugs. Such a valuable interaction and I was very sorry to have missed it. I slept until 2pm!

In the evening I was well enough to attend a reception at a local community art space. This was my very first art exhibition!

Karen Watson who is also an artist and I exhibited our work created from inspiration of

the Trail of Dreams. The organizer of the Baltimore leg of the walk, Nefertiti, is also a publisher and created a booklet of my artwork,an explanation of my inspiration for each piece and how it pertains to the Peace Walk. So, not only was this my first exhibition, it also launched my first book! This booklet is now available for purchase, so please let
me know if you are interested and I will send it to you. Cost is $25 (Australian)

On Friday, there was another community walk, this time at Cherry Hill, an inner city area of Baltimore. This area is historically very valuable because it was where many black families settled following freedom from slavery. There are still many families still living in this area - several generations taking pride in their community. However, it is now up for re-gentrification and there are plans to make this an up market housing development way beyond the means of the locals to consider staying. There is a lot of anger and frustration with the people here and many students from the University joined us and talked to us about their situation. We send our prayers and intentions for balance in the hearts of all those who

live at Cherry Hill and wish to continue living there.

I personally had the great privilege of walking that day with an elder of the Baltimore

community (known as the local “wise man”). His name is Arthur and he is also an artist and metaphysician so we had a lot in common. He is indeed extremely wise and I learned so much from our time together.

On Friday night we all attended a documentary presentation created by Audri Scott-Williams some time ago prior to the Trail of Dreams. In this documentary were interviews with 4 of her own elders from various countries. Their messages were incredibly profound and deeply effected us all. As it turns out, 3 of the 4 elders have since passed over and it was

very evident energetically that the spirits of these ancestors travel with the documentary and touch the hearts and souls of all who view it. I am so very glad Audri felt that it was time for this very important work to be made available to the public. It can be purchased by contacting Audri via www.trailofdreamsworldpeacewalk.com My new friend and soul Sista, Omistaya, was also present at the presentation and we managed to find five minutes (which felt like 5 hours) to talk. She took my hand and looked into my soul with the most

penetrating gaze and told me about my life. She saw my background and how I have been shaped into the person I am now and understood the lessons I have learned and am still learning. She told me how my life may unfold and what I needed to do to create the fulfillment of my mission here on Earth. It was an incredible experience to be so transparent to another and to be given such profound confirmation and direction with love. I don’t mind admitting that I cried like a baby after she left - mostly out of relief and joy that I am on my

perfect path and that I am understood at levels that I hardly knew existed myself. I am so looking forward to continuing this beautiful friendship - thank you Omistaya.

As I mentioned above, Saturday was spent at a Peace Forum at “One God, One Thought”. We had a really wonderful group attending and I learned so much from Audri as she masterfully facilitated this event. She is without doubt the best workshop presenter I have come across. The object of this forum was to take Peace Making as a vocation out of “pie in the sky”

ideals and lip service to practical service in the realest of terms in actual situations. We all came away with strong intention and creative ideas on how every person on the planet has the potential of contributing in the way that they can best to the creation of World Peace, first within themselves and then mushrooming this energy out to families and
communities.

Yesterday, Sunday, we attended Satsang at a local Yogic community just around the corner from where we are staying. This is a wonderfully committed group who have been meeting for many years. They regularly and passionately practice Agnihotra which is a Hindi fire ceremony and we witnessed the level of support they muster in adversity. One of their

group, Maria, whose house we are staying in became ill several days ago and had emergency surgery a couple of days ago. We were there when the news broke and within minutes, a roster of carers was set up both for hospital visits and ongoing home care following her return home. She will be unable to work for 6 weeks so a collection of funds to help her

financially was also in the works. Maria will want for nothing. This is the kind of practical Peace making that doesn’t always exist, especially in the western world. Is it any wonder we witness homelessness and helplessness. Really there is no excuse.

We were in for an extraordinary treat in the afternoon. Nefertiti, who worked so very hard for us is a renowned poet and was holding a poetry reading with two other amazing poets and we were invited. We were simply captivated by the passion and downright genius of their words. We laughed, we cried we were transported by their individual and collective
works. I feel really privileged to have had the opportunity to attend.

This was such a beautiful way to end our Baltimore engagements.

Last night, we visited Audri’s family again and met more of her brood. It was a delight to engage in a family atmosphere and relax. Today is catch up day. Housework, internet, shopping etc. We are all heading for a shopping mall this afternoon so that will be an experience!

I haven’t had one minute to go into the shops since I arrived here so I am looking forward to making comparisons and picking up a few essentials.

Tomorrow, we walk in Washington DC - can’t wait to report on that one!

Peace,
Brenda

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Since my last entry,the team and I have been in full tilt production mode

so that we have our merchandise in place for your presentation this evening. I have now added a booklet of my paintings to add to my own list so please, if you are interested let me know.

Yesterday we had a full programme of events in Philadelphia. It is a couple of hours traveling from Baltimore in peak hour traffic so we made a very early start to the day.

The programme began at the Vietnam War Memorial. The intention of this memorial is to take the “warrior out of the war” and honour the fallen as inherently peaceful individuals who found themselves in the midst of a war and who did their best for the sake of others. This intention had my vote and the prayer ceremony here was, to me, very profound.

We then walked on to the Korean memorial, and various other historical sites including the Liberty Bell followed by Black African Museum (an interesting juxtaposition!)

We were a bit short on time at this point, so we walked at double quick pace 20 odd

blocks to the next venue which was the Unitarian Church. We all arrived huffing, puffing and glowing hot. We went headlong into the service there but didn’t prepare for the post-coolling off period. The church itself was very beautiful with fantastic stained glass panels - just stunning! It had very high ceilings, fabulous antique furniture and no heating!!! We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the speeches and the concert put on for our benefit but we were doing a bit of a shiver along the way until we could break for our coats.

It was very significant that Dr. Martin Luther King also spoke at this historic church along with many other workers for Peace and Freedom.

This particular church has a great history of hosting such speakers and I feel incredibly humble to be included in my own small way in a very impressive list of Peace Makers.

When the programme was finished we were all absolutely starving so the hunt was on for the great speciality of the city, Phili cheese steak sandwich. We were also in a rush to get back here to complete more of our producton schedule.

We came across several curb side stands that were selling them as we walked to the church but there was no time to stop of course. “No worries” we thought, we’ll just stop at a roadside cafe but sadly it wasn’t to be.

By the time we got home, we were all exhausted so it was an early night all round. We could have taken the time to stop in the city for our Phili. cheese steaks after all!

A wonderful thing that came out of our stay in Philadelphia was a new  wheelchair for Mama Natalie. During the walk, her old chair started falling apart and one of the speakers at the church just happened to be an advocate for the disabled in the community. when she heard that Natalie’s chair had broken, she offered a second hand one for us to move forward
with. Miracles happen every day - what a blessing!

Well, time to get back to production - just a few hours to go and we will be doing our next community walk just locally here in Baltimore.

Peace,
Brenda

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The weather is finally warming up considerably. The sun is shining and a fresh breeze is stirring the wind chimes just outside the window - all is well with the world.

It’s Sunday morning over here and it is so very peaceful. A perfect time to catch up with all my friends! It has been quite a challenge to sort out effective and affordable  telecommunications for a short term stay. At the moment I am lining up for internet time so I can’t be as flexible as I would like in writing this blog at the moment. Please be patient with me.

My role within this awesome group is becoming clearer. I have had some ideas relating to our collective creative endeavours and so I have been put in charge of merchandising. Audri and Karen have created many, many wonderful works including poems, articles, DVD’s, CD’s, paintings and the list goes on. To this date, the world has not been privileged with experiencing these artistic endeavours so we are working towards marketing them to raise funds and awareness to assist the team financially. It really is a hand to mouth trek so all donations are so very gratefully received. You can donate via my website www.brendakayart.com

or

www.trailofdreamsworldpeacewalk.com Please help us to reach as many ears as possible and continue our work for Peace. My CD’s and art reproductions are also available for purchase via my website and soon a list of items from the team will also be available. All proceeds go
directly to the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk.

I have also become the resident healer and there is a constant flow of  bodies under my hands to relieve the aches and pains associated with the walk. It can be amazingly stressful at times especially during the lead up to engagements - there is so much preparation involved and stress levels can run very high particularly for things public speaking and media
interviews etc.

On Fridays from 12 noon to 1 pm (Eastern American time or 3.00am Eastern Standard Time in Australia)

Audri hosts a radio programme on www.lifeconversationsradio.com Last Friday she introduced the entire team and we all had an opportunity to speak about our reasons and feelings about being a part of this experience.

We all went to visit a wonderful woman called Nefatiti in the afternoon who has been such an enormous help to the team in organizing events here in Baltimore. She took us to meet other members of her team here and we watched a movie called “Slumdog Millionaire”. It is an extremely difficult movie to watch because it shows, very accurately and graphically the conditions under which slum children in India are living. Because Audri, Karen and Toni travelled through India, they were able to absolutely confirm that this is what they observed over there. The story has a very happy ending thank goodness but the impact of the scenes has had a lasting effect on us all. We spent considerable time processing the feelings and discussing what it brought up to us individually and in what possible ways this situation can be alleviated. I highly recommend this movie to anyone with a social conscious and a little warning that it may upset your sensibilies if you are particularly sensitive to such explicit painful Truth.

Yesterday, Saturday, we visited a local Baltimore church called “One Thought”. The visit was all about setting up and facilitating a power point presentation and sound gear etc. for a presentation we will be giving on Wednesday night. There were technical hitches and challenges, but in a way I was pleased because it gave those of us not involved in the technical side of things to be given a tour of this incredible church. If there is a similar thing in Australia, I have never seen it. This is so much more than a church. “One Thought” refers to the fact that they embrace everyone from every possible religion and tradition but who choose to come together and share the Truths and precepts that bind all religions and peoples together.

Not only is it a church, it is also a college. They actually have courses spanning a minimum of two years and they teach metaphysics and alternative health practices. College graduates come out with diplomas and egrees that have great credibility in the community. I also found out that in two Universities over here, a course in alternative health practices is a pre-requisite to starting a medical degree - WOW! I had no idea just how progressive they are over here! Can’t wait to find out more!!

The rest of yesterday was spent hanging out with Audri’s son Mike and his lovely family. They have a little girl called Unique and she is just the same age as my granddaughter Ruby. So lovely to be included in a family situation but, yes, I did miss my own lovely family a lot yesterday.

Today, we begin the walk between Baltimore and Washington. It will be a short walk, only 2 hours which we will do together as a team. Walking has not really been possible until now but with the warmer weather, the ice and snow has melted and the conditions are absolutely  perfect. Walking is a big part of our commitment here so it is great to finally make a start on that. Tomorrow, we will be breaking up into 2 teams - one to walk in the morning and one to walk in the afternoon. We will be driving backwards and forwards to where the last team left off so that the distance will covered between the two cities. Today, some members of the

One Thought church will join us on the walk. I am so looking forward to knowing more about this organization - I would so love to see something like this in Australia and indeed in every country of the world.

Peace,
Brenda
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I arrived here in Baltimore last night and boy, was it good to connect once more with the team!! We really don’t like being seperated but under the circumstances there was nothing else to do. I found out when I arrived that Paul and Audri came down with the same virus that I had so it has been a time of recovery all round.

Due to heavy snow falls in Philadelphia, the programme for there was cancelled - much to the relief of everyone who was suffering that day!
This day will be re-scheduled though so none of us will be missing out.

Today, we have spent mostly pulling together all the loose ends of the necessary plans for the next stage of our journey. We are all still settling in to our roles within the group and finding where we all fit best to flow as One. Our fearless leader, Audri
carries so much on her shoulders so it is great to be able relieve her burdon in the ways that we indivdually can.

None of this could be attempted without a hearty breakfast so taking Audri’s lead, we all trooped of to her favourite breakfast place “International House Of Pancakes” or IHOP as it is affectionately known.
A claim was made that they have the best pancakes in the country so we had to try that out. Mmmmmmmmmm…….they get my vote! Clearly, I am over the virus.

I hear there is a terrible heat wave in Australia! Very hard to imagine over here where it is about 15 degrees below freezing today! Good luck with that over there!!

Peace,
Brenda

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I am looking out of a window at snow falling. Everything is covered - white on white.

There is just a tracery of bare branches to be seen. It is so serene and peaceful here right now. The same can’t be said for the last 5 days or so though - what a pace we have been moving! This is the first time I have been able to sit at a computer to catch up. So….hang on to your hats, this will be stunning entry!

THURSDAY - This was our day at the United Nations. As we walked from our carpark to the building, we were amazed that there were two people following us down the street drumming. They were not associated with the UN team, they just happened to be there - a powerful way to start our day!

The first item on our agenda was a meeting in the United Nations Chapel for a service of prayer for peace for all the countries of the world.

This was followed by a dialogue between peace workers from all over the world. We heard about the wonderful work that people were doing in war torn regions as mediators, health workers and many other capacities.
There was a lot of talk about going to these places “unarmed” - this word was used many times. One of our group, Alida pointed out that in view of the importance of language and the message they were wishing to project, would it not be better to say “open armed”. This hit at the very core of what we are all trying to achieve and this was received with much enthusiasm by all who attended.

I

read out Aunty Minnie’s speech and prayer for the world on behalf of the aboriginal peoples of Australia. Everyone was very touched by this and at the end, one of the organizer’s of the day’s events encouraged me to never let a chance go by to read it out. Every time I have a microphone in my hand, it should be shared - and so it is!

Here is the prayer……

“Great Eternal Mother and Father. We have beheld the world with all its suffering and misery, and we have beheld the evil which seems to triumph, for the good, for the most part, have surrendered to their despair and hopelessness in a world stripped of spiritual truths. We have seen the greedy, gathering wealth unto
themselves, becoming bigger and fatter at the expense of others, we have seen the poor and needy in their despair wandering the streets.

People facing life and death without knowing the reasons why, with messed up minds, in despair turning to drugs for comfort.

Beautiful people with their minds ruined by a world lacking understanding.

Let those of whom the Gods have revealed the truth, make this truth to grow, that the world may be illuminated by it, and that the children of the future may live in happiness, in the knowledge of this truth.

May the Great Gods help this wold to triumph over the evil that has befallen it.”

This was followed by a flag ceremony in which we were all honoured for our work for Peace. I felt so humbled by this and had some moments of non-deserving because I had not put in the hard yards that Audri, Karen, Natalie and Tony had put in. I spoke to Audri about this and she re-assured me that I should hold my head up high simply because I heard the call to service and showed up. That is all that is equired. I would certainly encourage all of you to “show up” as opportunities arise to make a little Peace magic in your homes, your communities or in any way large
or small. I have learned that everything you do towards Peace will make a
difference whether you realise it or not.

We were then taken to a typical New York Delicatessen for lunch. Well, everyone told me the food here in the States was good and they definitely were not lying. We had a wonderful, relaxing time and had the opportunity here to speak socially and openly to our hosts - a wonderful exchange and connections were made at very deep levels even though we only had a relatively short time.

We were meant then to walk to ground zero but there was so much ice
and snow on the streets, it was just too dangerous. We drove down there
instead and just walked around the perimeter.

We were all expecting that the energy would be very heavy and that the site would still be in need of a lot healing. While we were all very aware of the
energy that has gone before, we were pleasantly surprised that it was lifting and that a new and lively energy was replacing it.
Building work has begun and there is much hustle and bustle going on within the site itself. As we walked in silence around the perimeter, it was gratifying to see Mums walking their babies, people going home from work, workmen laughing and joking, children playing - life is going on.

All politics aside, who was right, who was wrong, who did what to who, blame , deserving, conspiracy theories - hundreds of people lost their lives here , the images went out all over the world and opened the hearts of everyone who bore witness to that. If it brings us all one step closer to wanting and pursuing world peace then their lives and deaths had purpose. All honour to those who made the supreme
sacrifice.

FRIDAY - This was, without doubt, THE most thrilling day of my life.
The city of Newark invited us for a day of activities but we were totally unprepared for the reception that awaited us. Coming in to Newark we were told we would have a police escort. My thought was “so that we wouldn’t get lost” actually, it was so that we could have lights flashing, sirens blazing, running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road when necessary. We started praying for red lights, just so we could run through them!

As we pulled up outside city hall, we were greeted with a crowd of city officials led by President Councilor Woman Mildred Krump (who by the way is one human dynamo) as well as a barrage of camera light bulbs flashing as members of the press never missed a single photo opportunity. A podium was set up on the city hall steps and we were welcomed to the city. We were all like deer in headlights!

We were then led into the city hall itself and were given a wonderful hot lunch of “soul food”. After lunch came a grand tour of the town hall, including the council
chambers and offices. Unfortunately the mayor could not be with us, but we were well cared for by Mildred and her wonderful team.

There was a press conference and Audri was interviewed by an NBC affiliate
- apparently it was to go to air on cable TV that night. We were followed all day by a member of the local Newark press who is doing a piece on Thursday and apparently there was another piece that went in the Sunday papers but we haven’t had a moment to check that out.

We returned to the council chambers where we were sat in the councilors chairs for our “Peace Council”. This was a forum that went live to air on local Newark television I believe. By now we were in a space of total overwhelm as you can well imagine. But it wasn’t to end there!

There was a walk through the streets planned, but again too much ice and snow to make that viable so we drove (again with police escort) to two municipal parks to plant peace poles.

We were taken then to Bethany church where another wonderful hot meal was
provided - Spanish/Portugese dishes were served this time and the two meals represented the main cultures of the Newark community. There was a service then focused on world Peace. There were some fantastic speakers and entertainers including Karen who sang just beautifully.

We were especially impressed by a group called “momsad” - Mothers of murdered sons and daughters. Newark has a history of gang warfare on the streets and the
council has worked tirelessly to cut the violence and promote Peace on the streets. Our arrival in Newark was a huge inspiration to the community and everyone said how important our work was the promotion of Peace in the hearts of all we connect with. To me, my journey to here was a very personal one - I was called quietly but
persistently to join this group but until this moment, I hadn’t really understood the big picture and how powerful an impact it would have on others. I am so very grateful for this experience.

Again, by police escort, we were taken to accommodation provided by Newark. Actually it was in a girl’s dormitory at a local college - young Paul was particularly excited about that!

SATURDAY - The day started with a leisurely breakfast at a famous Newark
restaurant called Je’s again provided by the city and we were accompanied by Mildred and her Chief of Staff, Walter. They were wonderful hosts and it was great to get to know them better on a personal level. They are so very passionate about their City and the work they have achieved. Murders rom gang warfare has been cut
by 40% since they took office - really something to be proud of. We were all presented with back packs filled with helpful goodies for the trail. I was just blown away by the warmth, friendliness and love that the people of Newark extended to us - thank you Newark!

To take us to the edge of town heading back to New York we had a secret service escort - we felt like rock stars or something!

Next stop was Harlem. Here we met with Professor Delores Blakeley who has the honourary title of “Queen Mother”. She is the community mayor of Harlem and she has earned this title through her work in the civil rights movement. She led us on an historical walk through Harlem to City College where many students marched and protested back in the 60’s. She even stopped traffic at an intersection where members of the Native American people walked with the protesters and we honoured the 4 directions. It was bitterly cold that day so our time on the streets was limited. It was a short but profound experience for me - I feel so very honoured to have been in Queen Mother’s presence. She has an awesome spirit.

From Harlem, we went back to Brooklyn to pick up gear left at our dear friend Entwha’s house and then on to the home of Irene and Tom Gibson.
Their son Paul met the Trail of Dreams team in India and they very graciously opened their home and their hearts to us.

SUNDAY - We attended Irene and Tom’s church and Karen spoke to the congregation about the Trail of Dreams. We each spoke a little about our
motives for being part of the team before splitting up into groups so that
everyone could ask questions of us individually. We had a lovely time and
it was great to connect with these warm hearted people.

This was my first taste of American countryside - up until this point I had only experienced cities so it was really refreshing to be in fresh country air and to taste a little of the energy of this land.

The afternoon was spent catching up with chores. We might have had red carpet treatment but we still needed to do the washing and take care of business. Unfortunately, Irene and Tom were not well having picked up stomach flu from their grandson so we just quietly went about our business and looked after ourselves.

MONDAY - I woke up with stomach flu!!!! There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to travel so the gang left me here in Holmdel to recover while they moved on to Baltimore. I slept for 24 hours straight!!

TUESDAY (TODAY) - Well, I do feel better and able to eat a little again but still in recovery mode. Tomorrow, the team will be in Philadelphia doing a walk (weather permitting). I am so sorry to be missing out, but relieved really to be in such a good spot to rest and recover completely before moving on tomorrow evening. My heartfelt thanks go to Irene and Tom for their wonderful hospitality.

My intention before leaving home was to write in my blog daily, but really this is not always going to be possible I’m afraid. Once we get to Baltimore, I will have greater access to a laptop so hopefully there will not need to be such large gaps in the continuance of my story.

Peace to All!
Brenda

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Well, here I sit in beautiful downtown Brooklyn, New York in the home of Entwha - a member of the Spirit of Truth Foundation who support the Trail of Dreams in many practical ways. It is 4.30pm and night is closing in fast but I can still look out the window and see snow on the curb and stuck steadfast to the top of cars as they drive by. Wow!

Paul and I arrived last night at 5.00pm after 24 hours of travelling house to house. The thrill of connecting once more to the Trail of Dreams Team carried me through till about 10.30pm till I came to the end of my energy rope. When head touched pillow, I felt that rapturous falling away you get when you know you are heading into long, deep, restful sleep. At 2.00pm my eyes sprung open and my body said “rise in shine”.

Hmmmmm……this happy state continued for another hour or two until the next wave of sleep. When everyone greeted me with “Good afternoon” when I was finally ready to start a new day, I knew my old friend jet lag was playing games with me. I was determined to  outplay him this time, but in the end all you can do is all you can do.

We all sat in circle for the first time this afternoon - such a blessing and a privelege to become one of this circle of dreams. We discussed a little of the way forward but mostly it was about bonding and connecting for the first time as a group of seven. There were six present physically, Karen, Paul, Audri, her mother Natalie, Tony and me.

Alida will be joining us tonight or tomorrow in person but has been working with the team for some time at a distance. Since being here, I have been made very, very aware of the members of this team in Spirit and how we are all supported by pure intention. Be aware that as you sit reading this blog, you also add your intention to this endeavour - we may be the ones holding this walk in our physicality but we carry each and every one of you with us. It is your intention for Peace that feeds us, drives us, nurtures us, moves us forward…..one step at a time.

Thank you for your support.

Peace,
Brenda

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