By the time you read this account of Saturday, it will already be Sunday, or Mother’s Day in America and some other countries as well. We wish to offer our sentiments of gratitude and joy to all those mothers who may or may not read this site. Motherhood and harmony ‘in the ‘hood’ seem to be synonymous to some extent. If it was not for mothers and their sense of deep commitment, love and oneness with their children, we would be hard pressed to find real harmony and kindness in our families, neighborhoods and communities. So with that thought in mind together with the strength and endurance which mothers all seem to embody in order to be mothers, we hope to carry on in the same harmonious spirit that motherhood offers so self-givingly.

Another day along the great Mississippi River brought us from Lousiana into Arkansas and then back into Mississippi. We had stayed at the Lakeside Inn in Lake Providence, Lousiana which offered fantastic views of the huge lake which formed from a tributary of the Mississippi River.

The Welcome Center of Lake Providence was the site of our morning meeting with the honorable Mayor Isaac Fields, Jr. and other concerned locals. Lee Ann Clement from the Sheriff’s Department organized the event which took place in a quaint little gazebo overlooking the huge lake. Students from the Briarfield Academy also were able to get themselves up and out to the lake before 9:00 a.m. to greet us.

Some of the members who participated in the Relay For Life, which is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, also came to share in their goodwill and wishes for harmony and friendship in the community. We are so grateful to these local citizens who came out to meet perfect strangers and greet us with open hearts. Shellie Tomlinson and Rhonda Perry of PMTV12 also offered us such enthusiastic hospitality which has encouraged us and inspired us beyond words. Rhonda showed up again later in the day to bring us healthy snacks like bananas and water.

We are also grateful to Don and Linda Boyett who own a wonderful café called ‘Jehovah Java’ which was our sanctuary for the wireless internet availability we needed to post our updates. They offered all the runners free drinks of their fine teas and coffees and a hospitable environment which included many locals who came in and offered us their goodwill and prayers.

Running north on route 82 through Eudora, Arkansas, some of our runners were greeted by Mayor Charlotte Hillge who expressed eloquently the nature of harmony in the community. We so grateful to her for coming out on this hot afternoon along with Laterrence Gill and Jimmy Bates who ran with us a bit and Shawnee Bates, who also offered her goodwill and wishes.

Later in the afternoon we had crossed the Mississippi River one more time as we made our way into Greenville, Mississippi. There, at a local fair organized by Beverly Ford, we were greeted by Mayor Heather Hudson and others, including the local police chief. We are again amazed and forever grateful to those who accept us into their communities with open hearts and with a deep understanding of the harmony and oneness we wish to inspire and share with others. The Mississippi River Delta area and those towns and communities which we pass through as we travel north have all been so receptive and self-giving in their sincere faith and beliefs that world harmony starts within each individual and spreads one person at a time.

As I write this account of today’s events late at night, I am surrounded by the silence and sounds of the Great River Road State Park environment which includes crickets, frogs, and other small creatures of the wild. An occasional mosquito also offers its little annoying buzz as we camp out among the trees near the mighty Mississippi. But here in such a natural setting I would rather hear the pesky mosquitoes than the usual trucks and cars that have pervaded our world as we run the highways for World Harmony around this vast land.

As a final note, I must mention that it is difficult to explain in detail all the fine people we meet, mostly unplanned, as we run the roads of America. Today I was greeted by a man at a stoplight who quickly jumped out of his pick-up truck to reach into his cooler in the back and offer me a cold bottle of spring water before the light turned green during my hot run through Greenville. Even though it was a quick and spontaneous act of kindness and I had no time to even get his name, this wonderful display of friendship and kindness really touches deep into one’s heart.

At another point during our run into Greenville, we had a surprise visit by an old friend whom I have not seen for years since he moved out to Arkansas from New York. He was able to run with us for two miles even though he said he had not been training for years. The joy he received by carrying the torch even in the hot sun was evident as he found it difficult to tear himself away and get back home, hundreds of miles from us.

Everyday offers new experiences and we never know what to expect. But everyday there are many people who surprise and delight us. They also make us realize that what we are doing really and truly touches the hearts and souls of many individuals who may or may not be able to personally express their sentiments. We hope that some of you who are aware of what we are doing as we run for World Harmony will express and share some of your sentiments here on the virtual highway or on the physical highways as we carry the torch of harmony and oneness through your community.

Arpan DeAngelo

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