Today, I stood at the Lincoln Memorial and witnessed something that moved me in a way words can barely hold.

For weeks, I have been following the Venerable Monks on their Walk for Peace as they made their way across 2,300 miles, step by step, offering prayers, compassion, and quiet strength to the world. Each day I would see them in my feed — walking through cities, along roadsides, through uncertainty and challenge — and more than once I found tears in my eyes at the purity of their intention and the steadiness of their presence.

This afternoon, I stood along the path as they approached the Lincoln Memorial to complete their journey. At first, I had my phone in my hand, ready to capture the moment. But something inside gently nudged me to put it away. I wanted to be fully present. To feel it. To witness, not through a screen, but through my heart.

As they came into view, something in me opened. Tears began to fall as I bowed my head and raised my hands in prayer — a spontaneous offering for peace to continue spreading across humanity. A prayer for safety, for gentleness, for healing for every living being on this planet and beyond. There was a silent power in their presence, a humility and devotion that felt both grounding and expansive at the same time.

Standing there, I felt deeply aware that this is where our true strength lies — not in force, but in intention. Not in noise, but in quiet devotion. Not in division, but in the steady choice to walk in peace.

One of the monks placed a bracelet into my hands. A team member gently offered me a flower and spoke a simple blessing:
“May you be happy. May you be peaceful.”

I held those words like a sacred gift.

In that moment, I realized how powerful it is to remember this feeling. I have known it before — that deep, wordless sense of connection, reverence, and shared humanity. And it felt like being reminded of something ancient and true that lives inside all of us.

May we each walk for peace in our own ways.
In our conversations.
In our choices.
In our patience.
In the kindness we offer ourselves and others.

The monks walked 2,300 miles to carry this prayer across the land. But the truth is, each of us carries the same prayer within our own daily steps.

May we remember.
May we embody it.
May we continue the walk — in big ways and in small ones.
And may we all be happy.
May we all be peaceful.