I’m keeping the shiny side up ( except for one parking mishap) and I’m grinning a mile wide being so amazed that I am doing this — balancing on two wheels at high speeds for miles for one and being part of this epic journey celebrating women and all we are capable of.

After 17 years, I wanted to know that the Center I had spent so much life energy on would continue and thrive. And today, I am beyond thrilled to tell you that we have found someone who sees this work as the same “dream job” I saw so many years ago. Jacqueline Flewellen has the energy, experience and passion to make sure that Missoula will continue to be a beacon of peace. You are going to be as delighted as me when you meet her. Please join me in welcoming her and offering our support.

Tomorrow is the 141st birthday of our namesake, Jeannette Rankin.  Her tireless work for peace and justice and her courage to stand for what is right – even if that meant standing alone, continues to inspire us. But I imagine she would not want us to stop at inspiration alone.

I have been proud to be part of the Peace Center and stand with all people who want peace. Sometimes a situation arises where it seems clear which “side” peace is on. In reality, it isn’t that simple because we all see from our own perspectives and we understand based on our own experiences. From time to time, I have written things here that someone disagrees with. And I appreciate all of you who are willing to speak up and dialogue with me about it because we both grow and get a chance to see the bigger picture.

Here in Montana, many people note with pride how many generations of their family have lived in this state and nurtured a sense of belonging here. We are just beginning to understand the full costs of that belonging to the people who lived on and cared for this land before white Europeans arrived. As I watch the increasing violence in Israel and Palestine, there are similar themes of colonization, oppression and destruction.

Twenty years ago this coming Saturday, May 8 the iconic Missoula Peace Sign that adorned our North Hills on a former US West (then Qwest) microwave reflector between 1983 and 2001, came down to the valley floor. Thanks to Bob Oakes, the North Missoula Community Development Center and nine volunteers, the pieces were safeguarded in the hopes of reuniting them one day.

This week a friend shared this quote from Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., “This is an inaugural moment. It’s a beginning; it’s not an end. I’ve said it before: justice is a practice.” It was a great reminder to me that we often set our sights on a goal – like racial justice, the end of war or a more sustainable planet – and forget that all these goals are also personal practices that we must nurture and begin again each day.

Thirteen years ago, I made the first of three trips to Southeast Asia, and my family has hosted many students and young professionals over the years. I have also been fortunate to make many more friends through my connections with the Mike & Maureen Mansfield Center and the English Language Institute at UM – friends from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Philippines and Myanmar.

To some peace conjures up something soft, comfortable and relaxing. But doing the work of peace is very often messy, uncomfortable, time-consuming and even dangerous. Thinking about being a peace builder in today’s world can be daunting.

17 years ago this month, I began the job my heart told me was the work I was destined to do. That work has continued to fill my heart with wonderful friends and so many opportunities to learn and grow.

One of the most important skills we can master in our world is communication. Increasingly, our world requires us to work in teams and the ability to communicate our thoughts and listen to others are the tools of that work. In our work as advocates for a more peaceful and just world, we are exposed to many different opinions and ideas.

For many years, the Southern Poverty Law Center has published a monthly magazine called “Teaching Tolerance”. A name change to “Learning For Justice”. What a revelation – from teaching to learning and from tolerance to justice.