The Words of the Balcomb Family

Day of Peace in Riga, Latvia

Michael Balcomb
September 21, 2010

Riga, Latvia -- The Peace Embassy in Latvia was the venue for a friendly meeting on September 25 dedicated to the Day of Peace. The celebration was to support the International Day of Peace established by the United Nations. The organizers wanted all participants to realize how much each individual's actions can contribute to the common cause of peace.

The participants were mostly young people and families: volunteers from the Latvian chapter of UPF and their friends and guests representing Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and different regions of Russia, altogether 20 people.

The program opened with a video about Peace Day and the ten years invested into its establishment by Jeremy Gilley, whose life dream and goal was to create a day when gunfire stops and peace and tranquility set in.

In a friendly setting, sipping on a cup of tea, the participants shared their views, dreams, and goals. Later they engaged in games whose purpose was to show that true victory comes only through unity and team work, in the spirit of cooperation and mutual support.

In conclusion people demonstrated their various talents playing musical instruments such as piano, saxophone, and accordion.

The friendly and warm atmosphere of the meeting was enhanced by burning candles; the drawings of the participants were posted on the walls. They expressed the life goals of each person. The most unique was the "Tree of Goodness," where people wrote their wishes and ideas about how to create peace. Other special components of the display were national flags, figures, and paper doves symbolizing harmony, shared peace, and friendship.

Participants were touched by the warm atmosphere and enjoyed sharing together with like-minded people. They showed interest in similar events in the future. 

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