Dear Friend in Peace,

Grandpa was a man of his word. When he said something, he meant it. Most of the other men in the small Methodist church Grandpa attended in rural Indiana had taken the pledge to never drink alcohol. Despite the fact he never had taken a drink or even wanted to drink, Grandpa refused to take the pledge because, as he said: "Someday, I might just want to take a drink, and I wouldn't be able to because I gave my word!"

He never drank and he never broke his word. Everyone in that farming community knew he was trustworthy and honest. No one ever questioned Grandpa's words or his integrity.

How simple and peaceful life is when we show up as exactly who we are and stand by our word by doing what we say we will. We don't have to remember what we promised to whom, because we simply tell the truth. As a result, peace flows within our hearts.

Some folk may believe they are winning something when they lie, but the truth is they are losing everything including self-respect, their reputation as a trustworthy person, and the possibility of being peaceful.

Peace flows when we stand by our word. No elaborate schemes or complicated lies will bring us inner peace, but integrity can.

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"As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself...
Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty..."

Nelson Mandela
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Fortunately, our integrity and peace are not dependent on the behavior of anyone except ourselves. We recognize cruelty and fear mongering for what they are: an attempt to pretend things are not what they are and to encourage us to fight and fear one another. Fortunately for our world, our nation, and our souls, integrity sings the song of Liberty and Justice for all and offers us the blessing of inner peace.

What a simple, peaceful life we give ourselves when we show up as we are, without pretension or masks.

This photo speaks to me of integrity and peace because the Little Blue Heron is not trying to pretend to be someone or something else, the Little Blue is simply showing up as (s)he is a Little Blue Heron. Some birds and some beings pretend to be something they are not, such as the Bluejay which pretends to be a Red-shouldered Hawk in order to scare other birds away from food or something else they want.

I felt great peace emanating from the Little blue when taking the photo as (s)he did not move away, but simply stayed there. No parade, no fanfare, simply a Blue Heron being a Blue Heron, not messing with anyone else, simply being her/himself. May we be so honest, wise and peaceful.

Thank you for your commitment to peace and for living the Peace born of Integrity.