Finding Peacemongers in England
by Kira Nance
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Peacemakers
are found in all places and walks of life throughout the world. It is
up to each person to decide if they will acknowledge
the peace and goodness to be found in the world, or dwell on the unhappy
things that are inevitable in any imperfect culture. Peacemakers can be
bed-and-breakfast owners washing a dirty load of laundry for a careless
foreigner, or they can be found within our
own hearts.
In the spring of 2008, I was a bright-eyed college freshman who was hoping to find peace and discover myself. I was tired of the mundane drudgery of school and believed I would have to go somewhere foreign to make a fresh start. Embarking on BYU-Idaho’s British Literary Tour, I was ready to find adventure and some solitude. I learned one of the greatest lessons of my life so far from the unexpected examples of two people that will never know the impact they had on me, or my resulting resolve to help bring a greater sense of peace into my life, as well as the lives of others.
The bed-and-breakfast owners scattered across the four-week journey remain a testament to me of the kindness and general goodwill that people have. Exhausted because of the time difference, and bedraggled from trying to sleep on a bus, I became a weary college student who trickled off the bus in front of a new bed-and-breakfast every few days, only to be greeted with warm smiles and motherly care by the owners of the house. It was surprising to see just how welcoming and cheerful the owners were. I am ashamed to admit the negative, cynical perception I had of the bed-and-breakfast owners without meeting them. I expected the people to be cordial because I was paying them rent for the rooms, but beyond the common service, not much was expected. It surprised me when laundry needed to be done and no Laundromat was available, the wife readily offered to do the load of laundry free of charge.
In the spring of 2008, I was a bright-eyed college freshman who was hoping to find peace and discover myself. I was tired of the mundane drudgery of school and believed I would have to go somewhere foreign to make a fresh start. Embarking on BYU-Idaho’s British Literary Tour, I was ready to find adventure and some solitude. I learned one of the greatest lessons of my life so far from the unexpected examples of two people that will never know the impact they had on me, or my resulting resolve to help bring a greater sense of peace into my life, as well as the lives of others.
The bed-and-breakfast owners scattered across the four-week journey remain a testament to me of the kindness and general goodwill that people have. Exhausted because of the time difference, and bedraggled from trying to sleep on a bus, I became a weary college student who trickled off the bus in front of a new bed-and-breakfast every few days, only to be greeted with warm smiles and motherly care by the owners of the house. It was surprising to see just how welcoming and cheerful the owners were. I am ashamed to admit the negative, cynical perception I had of the bed-and-breakfast owners without meeting them. I expected the people to be cordial because I was paying them rent for the rooms, but beyond the common service, not much was expected. It surprised me when laundry needed to be done and no Laundromat was available, the wife readily offered to do the load of laundry free of charge.
After standing on a grassy moor, overlooking the iron waves of the Atlantic, I realized that if I wanted to help others to feel peace, I had to be at peace with myself first.
The
owners also made sure that the breakfast
they prepared made the students feel right at home, even if it
inconvenienced them a bit to accommodate certain wants by particular
students. Here they were, two sweet bed-and-breakfast owners housing 40
college students who were loud, immature, and somewhat
naïve and careless of the extra burden the owners were willingly and
lovingly taking upon themselves. They had every right to refuse to make
the ridiculous changes that were asked of them, and instead they showed the
other students and I what it was meant to peacemakers.
The example with the two bed-and-breakfast owners was very early on in the trip, making it the one of the more memorable experiences. After seeing all of the selflessness and love they displayed for 40 strangers, it encouraged me to reflect on d what I was doing in my life to bring others peace. After standing on a grassy moor, overlooking the iron waves of the Atlantic, I realized that if I wanted to help others to feel peace, I had to be at peace with myself first. It wasn’t a new, exciting epiphany; after all, how many times had it been taught to me in church? For some reason, on that moor I was able to make sense of who I was, why I was, and how I had become that way. I finally realized that all the little quirks that made me, me, were beautiful, and I should embrace them instead of constantly running and trying to change myself. As I looked back over the cliff, I made a resolve that in order to be of the best service to those around me, I had to be at peace with myself. How could I encourage others to see the beauty and positive things in this world if I was unable to see them in myself? I originally thought I had to go to Europe to find peace. While I was shown a beautiful example of love, service, and peacemaking, the real lesson I learned was that I can be, and now am, at peace with myself, and the peacemaking process starts from within and grows outward.
The example with the two bed-and-breakfast owners was very early on in the trip, making it the one of the more memorable experiences. After seeing all of the selflessness and love they displayed for 40 strangers, it encouraged me to reflect on d what I was doing in my life to bring others peace. After standing on a grassy moor, overlooking the iron waves of the Atlantic, I realized that if I wanted to help others to feel peace, I had to be at peace with myself first. It wasn’t a new, exciting epiphany; after all, how many times had it been taught to me in church? For some reason, on that moor I was able to make sense of who I was, why I was, and how I had become that way. I finally realized that all the little quirks that made me, me, were beautiful, and I should embrace them instead of constantly running and trying to change myself. As I looked back over the cliff, I made a resolve that in order to be of the best service to those around me, I had to be at peace with myself. How could I encourage others to see the beauty and positive things in this world if I was unable to see them in myself? I originally thought I had to go to Europe to find peace. While I was shown a beautiful example of love, service, and peacemaking, the real lesson I learned was that I can be, and now am, at peace with myself, and the peacemaking process starts from within and grows outward.
Kira Nance
is expecting to graduate from Brigham Young University-Idaho this July
with a B.S. in English Literature. She is excited for the future and
looks for opportunities to promote peace within herself and
the community daily. She hopes to travel to Ireland and work for a
publishing company in Dublin or the surrounding area post-graduation.