Francesco celebrated in the vibrant life-energy that emanated from endless miles of rolling wheat fields.

Video of the first month in USA

Today we had no formal ceremonies planned. It was a peaceful day of running on quite hilly terrain as we made our way east towards Spokane. It has been a wonderful experience for me to have my brother and his family join us in our running and other activities since we met them in Oregon over a week ago.

Appearing to create a celestial vortex all his own, Julian cruises down the peaceful country roads leading to Spokane.

I got to run with both my nephews, Nick and Joe, today. Nick ran two miles with me quite strongly even though he does not run as regularly as his younger brother Joe. My own brother, Giribar, their father, ran over seven miles today which is great considering he has had to cut down his running because of some back problems. Linda, his wife, ran and walked with the Torch for about a mile here and there as well.

Perfect hosts Teri and Don, were thrilled to have our team of 16 strangers from around the world filling their home for the evening. It didn’t take long for us to feel like old friends.

We were told to call a friend our good friends Pipasa and her father Sam, for accommodations for the night. Don and Terri Thompson did not know much about us or the World Harmony Run, but still they graciously welcomed us into their beautiful and spacious home.

Chef Francesco in the beginning stages of the pesto from paradise.

Fifteen of us descended upon their house, hungry and tired, and they treated us like family. After a wonderful meal cooked by some of our team members with the help of Don and Terri, we were able to share with them some of our photos and videos about the Harmony Run so far.

Teri, our heaven-sent hostess, probably never has so many cooks in her kitchen at one time.

It was a long and memorable evening as we all got to know each other more and more and were able to share in the harmony that these wonderful hosts offered to each of us.

Who says” too many chefs ruin the stew?” Our authentic Italian feast was a real team effort.

After a delicious ‘tiramisu’, an Italian dessert dish cooked by Linda, we spent as much time as we could with Don and Terri as they just seemed to easily accept us as family.

It was a tremendous offering on their part when they happily and willingly offered their own master bedroom to some of us as they chose to sleep on the sofa in the family room for the night.

Junna and Collette just could not resist the flame, so they turned their car around and joined the team for a joy filled photo session.

Even when the Run seems to be uneventful at times, there is always someone to transform it into a very exciting and rewarding experience day after day. Just running with the Torch itself in the middle of ‘nowhere’ with only silence and nature around us can be a very enriching, deep and rewarding experience. This, in a sense, ‘charges our batteries’ until we again have the opportunity of sharing this wonderful harmony and inner peace with those who welcome us in to their lives for even a brief moment.

We are ever so grateful to these people as well as those who constantly work for us setting up meetings and accommodations and those who contribute funds to keep us fed and on the road. There are so many people to thank in this regard that it would be too difficult to mention all of them here. I think they all know who they are and what they are doing for this very special event. We just hope to reflect some of that back to you and everyone else who takes the time to read our notes from the road.

Gratefully,

Arpan and Team Harmony

---

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

< USA 28 June

USA 30 June >