The Last Day of the Maine Walk for Peace.

Wednesday night I journeyed down to Portland with some of my favorite people for the last few  hours of the Maine Walk for Peace. After a rather traumatic journey to the church where the dinner was held, things went smoothly.  When we first got there, as soon as Bob saw me, he immediately pulled me over and told me he would rather hold my hand, so I was sandwiched in between him and Dan for the before dinner prayer. 

I spent most of the evening making paper cranes with TJ, MB and one of the nuns. I made 6 all by myself, which I was rather proud of.  But it was a wonderful evening to end the emotional experience that is the walk.  I spent time with KBW, Dovey, TJ, and Annie, and we just relaxed with each other which was something that we all needed after the emotional weeks we have been having.

Yesterday was the parade, that VFP was allowed to march in, after the press got wind of us not being allowed to by the VFW. So we gathered at 10 am at the beginning of the parade route, sandwiched in between the girl scouts and some guys dressed up as clowns. So we walked in the same manner as we did for the last 126 miles, with the banner in front, followed by the monks, and the everyone else.  I of course handed out the green informational cards like I had been doing all along, and those seemed well received. Not many people said no to taking one, and I also did not force people to take one.  There was a great deal of clapping, and there was a large contingent of VFP members there, including some of my dear friends, Peggy Akers, Rita Clemente, and Tim Sturtevant.  After the parade we did not hang around, we veered off, and gathered in our traditional prayer circle, and then we broke and headed to the space gallery for the draw-a-thon.  There I had my picture drawn by Rob Shetterly, and I made some art for myself, which was what I desperately needed.   There was a great deal of passion there, as everyone was creating beautiful things about how our war dollars could have been better spent.

Sadly, we had to leave the Space Gallery around 12:30.  I did not want to leave all of these men and women behind. But I know that our friendships will not end with the walk, they will continue on, and I am sure that we will walk again. 

Last night, I also attended a vigil in my hometown, for lost loved ones, in which the proceeds were donated to a homeless veteran's group that works to give them money for places to stay, and food.  The ceremony focused on talking about the lost loved ones, and not the issues behind where there are hundreds of homeless veterans in Maine and all over the United States.  I attended that with my Grandfather, and my favorite veteran on the face of the earth, so it was an incredibly moving experience for both of us, along with my grandmother. 

I am sure this post will be edited later on, and I plan on adding some pictures to it.
But this is it for now.