I would like to offer just a brief synopsis of today’s main events in Oklahoma City because we have a few runners who are leaving us and who we would like to thank here.

We visited the Heronville Elementary School today and were greeted so enthusiastically by Principal Melinda Manley and hundreds of the children there. There were so many excited children that we had to hold two separate ceremonies in the same gym. Melinda read out a letter of welcoming to the World harmony Runners from a kind elected official. She then soulfully led us all in a full minute of silence for the victims of the tragedy here ten years ago. We are so grateful to her, the children and others on the staff, including Darlene Arnold who made it possible for us to visit here.

We had to move quickly to make it to another nearby school called Hillcrest Elementary. Principal Natalie Johnson and hundreds of children and teachers were outside lining the sidewalk with flags and banners to greet us very enthusiastically. The energy and excitement really warmed our hearts as we in turn tried to offer them a bit our inspiration from our own experiences running with the torch for world harmony.

Again we listened intently as the welcoming letter was soulfully read out by Mrs. Johnson. She led us all in a moment of silence for the victims of ten years ago also. To me, this is truly a testament to how important it is to reflect on goodness and to dedicate one’s life to harmony and goodwill so as to prevent further tragedies of the scope that occurred here ten years ago.

Finally, we have to praise and thank our dear friend Polly, who lives far away and could not make it out to Oklahoma City, but whose hard work and dedication have made our visit to these wonderful schools a reality and a memorable experience.

Gratefully,

Arpan and Team Harmony

I am truly proud to be on this World Harmony Run Team because when I think of and see the runners, I am filled with inspiration. All the runners have such dedication and determination. Their hearts are filled with self-giving love for one another and for the rest of the world. This is obvious because of what they are doing here on the World Harmony Run. They are giving hope to so many young children and inspiring people of all ages and all walks of life to bring forth the goodness they have within their own hearts.

We are all from different countries and have had different upbringings but we have come together for the World Harmony Run and put aside all our differences in order to create and share harmony, friendship and goodwill.

I am truly grateful for being a part of the U.S Team Harmony. The entire month has been a highlight in my life. Every experience on the run has been a learning, growing and inspiring experience. It is something that I will never forget and always treasure.

Gratitude to all the runners for your inspiration.

Michal (Florida)

We are sad to say goodbye to our wonderful teammates who have been with us since the first day but now have to get back to work at home. Michal has been such an amazing asset since even before we left on the road. He worked on marking all the route maps as well as many other jobs in preparation for this event on a huge scale. During the run in these past five weeks, Michal has taken all of his responsibilities seriously and has run his miles with joy, willingness and enthusiasm. We will never forget his parents coming to visit us in Florida and the support they gave us, including the incredibly delicious authentic Polish cuisine they cooked for us.

Homagni also has been incredibly helpful in all aspects of his involvement with the run. He is so much part of our U.S.Team that it seems almost unnatural for him to leave us now. But he will be working on other World Harmony Run projects in a few other countries soon and we wish him all the best. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we all hope you can come out again, mate.

Sutushti Lang has also contributed so much to our U.S. Team Harmony. Her organizational work in Oklahoma, especially Tulsa, has really made a difference in our runs and ceremonies in this very welcoming state. She also put in a few miles in the short time she was able to spend with us, but we all, especially the women’s team, are sad to see her leave as well.

We would like to welcome formally two new members of our running team. Jeromy, from Austin, Texas has been running with us for a few days now but will have to leave soon. He has also helped to organize some of the events in Texas and helps with the harmonemail regularly. We hope you can come out again soon, Jeromy.

The second new member who will be with us for a long time, we hope, is Sevati, originally from El Salvador. She has participated in other torch relay runs and I am sure will have much to offer and share with everyone. We are so glad you could make time to come out here to be part of Team Harmony.

As you can see, so many people contribute to make this World harmony Run truly an effort of love and teamwork. Besides all the runners and coordinators and contributors who keep us on the road everyday, we also cannot be out here without all the support and sharing of those who we meet everyday as we travel through their towns and cities.

We are so grateful to the Crown Plaza Hotel and the general manager, Mr. Kevin Goebel. The accommodations and the service was excellent and gave us much needed rest.

We are also very grateful to Sean Clement, the manager of Love’s Sub Sandwiches, #205 in O.K. City, for their kind contribution of delicious food for our whole team. Heidi Mac Donald and other employees were very helpful in getting these wonderful sub sandwiches made for us quickly. Justin in the Main Office who manages the donations was very kind and generous in his offer of this food. This type of simple donation goes a long way in demonstrating the friendship and harmony that can result even between perfect strangers.

Later in the evening, we again were blessed with goodwill and kindness at the Hideaway Pizza Restaurant. We especially would like to thank Jeremy, the manager, and Paul, our waiter for their friendly attitude and generous offering. It was the best Pizza this side of the Mississippi so far.

Team Harmony

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