community | A Peace of My Mind

Michael Reid

April 26, 2018 by johnnoltner

Michael Reid played bass in a punk band and became addicted to heroin. He was strung out on the drug for ten years. His days revolved around petty crime to feed his addiction, which eventually landed him in prison for more than a year. After his release, Michael started volunteering at a food pantry. Over time, he was given more responsibility, and now Michael is in charge of a program that feeds more than 400 families each week. “You learn […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: addiction, California, community, drugs, homeless, prison, service

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Deanna Thompson

April 2, 2018 by johnnoltner

Deanna Thompson was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer at age 42 that had metastasized to her bones. The doctors told her she had fewer than five years, but when I interviewed her, it was more than six years after her diagnosis. She lives in St. Paul with her husband and two daughters and teaches religion at Hamline University. “Initially, I thought I was on sabbatical to get ready to die. Then it became clear that I wasn’t dying right […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: cancer, community, grace, gratitude, illness, Minnesota, relationship, Saint Paul, St. Paul

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Betsy Mulligan-Dague

March 25, 2018 by johnnoltner

Betsy Mulligan-Dague runs the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center in Missoula, Montana. She is also a Harley Davidson rider, a boxer, and an inventor. She believes it is important to explore different perspectives. Together, with Dan Gallagher, they found a way to bridge the divide that can exist between veterans and peace activists. “We have things that bind us together that we can fall back on when we start talking politics, or something else where we diverge in opinion.” We can only […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: community, division, learning, Missoula, montana, veteran, vietnam, war

Jimmy Ta

December 12, 2017 by johnnoltner

Jimmy Ta moved from Vietnam to the United States with his mother and siblings when he was in elementary school, but his father was unable to join them for another year. Jimmy struggled with the language, the culture, and with a lack of self-confidence. When a teacher invited him to join a mentoring program called Youth Ambassadors, Jimmy learned that everyone has struggles of some sort and he found a deep satisfaction in helping others overcome theirs. “We should remember […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: community, friendship, helping, immigration, kindness, mentor, relationship, seattle, washington, youth

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Leroy Sullivan

June 20, 2017 by johnnoltner

Leroy Sullivan has been the mayor of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, since March 2004. Prior to serving as mayor, Leroy worked at a local chemical plant and was burned over 50 percent of his body in an explosion at the plant. He spent 37 days in a burn unit. Donaldsonville has a population of 7,436, but he says its residents experience the same struggles as larger cities: poverty, drug abuse, violence, and murder. “If we just dare to help one another, to love one another, to treat […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: community, crime, donaldsonville, elders, louisiana, poverty, respect

I wish…

February 6, 2017 by johnnoltner

At the end of our dinner presentation at the Center for Transforming Communities, we closed with one final exercise. After hearing many of the inspiring stories from A Peace of My Mind, people are ready to dream big. We ask everyone in the room to take a piece of paper and finish this phrase: I wish…. They can finish the phrase any way that they like…we encourage them to aim high, and they often do. Everyone in the room feels […]

Categories: Blog, Uncategorized • Tags: art, commitment, community, listen, memphis, peace, transformation, wish

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Eric Menzel

February 3, 2017 by johnnoltner

Eric Menzel always had a fascination with food. In the pursuit of healthier food and healthier living, Eric began farming on a small scale with his wife, Eve, in rural Iowa. Although he recognizes his new career will never make him rich, he has found meaning in his daily routine of hard work and healthy living. Eric finds peace through simple living that reflects his personal values. “You’re going to stumble and make mistakes but keep working toward creating a better result.” […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: agriculture, community, farming, food, health, Iowa, simplicity, solon

Elaine Baker

January 29, 2017 by johnnoltner

Elaine Baker grew up in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Founded in 1887 by former slaves, Mound Bayou is the oldest self-governing all-black municipality in the United States. Elaine grew up in an era of segregation, with “white only” and “black only” signs in neighboring communities, though she didn’t experience day-to-day racism in Mound Bayou. She learned that her value and worth were not determined by others. As a young girl, she picked cotton for 2.5 cents a pound and went on […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: community, mississippi, mound bayou, principles, race, segregation, values

Tony Thomas

January 10, 2017 by johnnoltner

Tony Thomas was born and raised in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee. He worked in the coal mines and never finished high school. Tony records folk musicians in rural areas in an effort to preserve the local culture. He is also a singer and a songwriter himself. Tony says he has written more than 200 songs and when he dies, they are all going to be popular. “When something touches my life some way or has an impact, I usually write […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: appalachia, charity, clinton, community, cumberland, faith, folk, music, singer, tennessee, traditional

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Cesar

January 7, 2017 by johnnoltner

Cesar is an undocumented immigrant who lives in Riverside, California. He was born in Mexico and crossed the border on foot when he was 16 years old. On the journey, he was robbed, nearly died of dehydration, and was almost caught by border patrol agents. He works odd jobs and hopes to move toward citizenship one day. Although Cesar told me his full name, I have chosen to use only his first. “Everyone struggles. They need to get a job, […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: California, citizenship, community, ethnicity, immigration, nationality, Riverside

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A Peace of My Mind

Exploring the meaning of peace, one story at a time.

Tag: community

Michael Reid

Deanna Thompson

Betsy Mulligan-Dague

Jimmy Ta

Leroy Sullivan

I wish…

Eric Menzel

Elaine Baker

Tony Thomas

Cesar