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By The Reverend Christine V. Hides

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
—John Muir

“I wonder where peace could be?” we asked the children Sunday after reading A Little Peace by Barbara Kerley. After exploring this book of rich photographs from around the world, we created our own little place to experience peace using found objects from nature. In worship, we read excerpts from Maya Angelous’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth” and Katie Lancaster preached on peace.

Peace is both inside us, and something we create in the world. Summer often brings peace in the form of freer schedules and time in nature. There are countless ways to experience and create peace. Here are just a few  ideas:

• Research shows that interacting with nature has measurable benefits. Schedule time outdoors this week (the weatherman says sun is finally on the way!). Enjoy your backyard, explore a neighborhood park, or discover a new forest preserve.
• Create peace rocks or peace cranes to share.
• Sometimes we need peace in our own homes. Here are ten steps to mediating those inevitable sibling squabbles.