If there’s any question that our house is a “peace” house, it’s beyond doubt now that we completed our latest home project: a sea glass peace sign between our curb and sidewalk. The beautiful symbol is one of the most recognizable on earth. But do you know what those three lines in a circle really mean or where they came from?

Gas prices... Scary weather... Head-butt politics in the U.S… War across the seas... And, ugh, Covid’s still around. Makes you want to scream. Or cry. Or drink. Right? Wrong! The BEST antidote to all the sh#% around us is JOY. With our longest day upon us, let’s celebrate the Summer Solstice with an easy 10-minute ritual to find our own light and joy!

After the plaster came crashing from my bedroom ceiling, Peace Pilgrim’s wisdom helped me clear the clutter in my room and my brain. Long before Marie Kondo told us to ditch things that don’t “spark joy,” Peace Pilgrim lived a life of simplicity, walking across the country with only the clothes on her back to promote peace. As I dealt with my plaster disaster, her words helped make me more present, more peaceful, more loving.

As the world whirs around us with conflict, climate change, and seemingly endless crises, every day brings temptations to share negative energy. But on this Earth Day 2022, let’s plant seeds of inner peace and love to counteract the invasive spread of hate, violence, and apathy. Here’s how.

Cheers and gratitude (and happy birthday) to these wonderful human beings who each set my life in a new direction: my firstborn son, Ciarán Patrick Brennan, and my inspiring mentor, Peace Pilgrim.

How many of us say we believe in peace, support peace efforts or even, like me, write a book in the hopes of promoting peace? Then, without thinking twice, we bad-mouth those we disagree with, mistrust those we don’t know, yell at our kids, curse out crazy drivers? I’m trying to follow Peace Pilgrim’s wisdom and foster inner peace. When I’m angry or judgmental I try to: Stop. Breathe. Know that we all have more in common than our differences. How about you? What can you do today to be kind to yourself and others?

It’s our 52nd Earth Day on April 22. Along with the trademark slogan, Earth Day, Every Day, let’s add Kindness. Even the tiniest acts of niceness help create inner peace, and that’s our REAL ticket to a better world. See more in my latest blog. I’d LOVE to hear your tips for how to be kinder toward each other and the earth!

In honor of International Women’s Day, I'm honored to recognize the woman who's had so much impact on my life.

It’s funny having a name like “Merry” because sometimes I’m not – even when I always am. And it’s the not times that finally made me an author.