Health & Fitness
Mamaroneck Mom Organizes Nationwide ‘Circles of Peace’ to Promote Post-Newtown Healing
Hilde Friderichs, a Mamaroneck mother of two, has launched a grassroots movement, Circles of Peace, encouraging families, friends and communities to come together on Mothers Day, May 12 at 9:30 a.m.
As the nation continues to mourn the children slayed in the Newtown massacre and legislators advocate for stricter gun control regulations, one Westchester mother is seeking another path to healing.
Hilde Friderichs, a Mamaroneck mother of two, has launched a grassroots movement encouraging families, friends and communities to come together on Mothers Day, May 12 at 9:30 a.m. Called Circles of Peace, the movement encourages each group— however small—to join hands to recognize, contemplate, pray and meditate on the importance of bringing communities together in a show of support against violence.
“Because we love our children, we are building ‘Circles of Peace’ in our communities around the nation to remember we are all together in this,” said Friderichs. “If we choose love, together we can promote a culture of love and peace, of unity and oneness. Each of us becomes a role model for the best of humanity. ‘Circles of Peace’ show that light can come out of darkness.”
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Similar to Hands Across America, the purpose of building ‘Circles of Peace’ is to encourage a feeling of community connectedness. The symbol of the circle is to suggest wholeness in order to heal the wounds that have been created by recent violent acts, according to Friderichs, who is also a licensed Reiki Master practitioner.
“Groups can come together with family and friends or neighbors and build a circle in their homes, outside their homes, in their backyards, in a local park, at the beach, on top of a mountain, around a tree – anywhere,” she said. “The more circles we build the stronger our unity becomes.”
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Friderichs will be hosting Circle of Peace at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck on Mother’s Day, May 12 at 9:30 a.m. The event will last for 15 minutes during which participants will listen to music and share personal reflections on healing violence, and will end with a personal prayer, meditation, visualization and recitation. The next Circle event is called ‘Circle Art’ in partnership with JR Artist’s Inside Out Project and will be installed in selected locations in Mamaroneck, Newtown, and Boston in a show of support against violence.
For more information, visit the ‘Circles of Peace’ website at www.circlesofpeacenow.org and “like” the Circles of Peace Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/circlesofpeacemay12
