It never occurred to me to travel to witness part of the Walk for Peace, the 2,300 mile walk that Buddhist monks began last fall. The mission of this pilgrimage is not to solicit donations, and they do not carry signs or banners to make their point. There are no speeches or opinions, no protests or performances. In Buddhism, peace is not demanded from the world; it is embodied. They walk because the walking itself is the teaching. Mindful steps. Mindful breaths. Mindful intentions. We are witness to a profound practice.
The monks believe violence does not heal violence. Peace only begins when hatred is not fed and compassion becomes action.

It never occurred to me to drive to some place in Georgia to witness the Walk for Peace until I saw a Facebook post by Darin Wright, who said she jumped out of bed one morning and felt compelled to witness the walk; she went immediately because they were just getting further away. Inspired by her friend Jean Anne Gardner’s post about traveling to witness this, Darin posted, “Being in their presence was powerful even as they passed by. I truly wanted to follow.”

After witnessing the walk, Jean Anne shared her experience on social media, noting the unassuming, steady freely-given kindness of the monks and also the dog that travels with them, Aloka, a creature alert to the world but not disturbed by it.

“But what truly took my breath away were the people who came to meet them.

“The crowds were wide and diverse, children, old folks, families, people of different races, faiths, and languages. Some were curious, some reverent, some hopeful.

“I left reminded that peace is not an idea. It is an action. It is a choice. And sometimes, it looks like walking together toward something better, one step at a time.

“On an ordinary stretch of road, with monks and children and strangers offering flowers and open hands, it felt clear ...we are not lost ...we are, even now, still on the road to Good Hope,” she posted.

Timothy Thompson, (HEMP the artist) is a photojournalist following and documenting the walk from Alabama. He agreed to share this post with the Mountain Mirror.

“I’ve been trying to find the right words for what I witnessed, because “a group of monks walked past” doesn’t even touch it.

“This is the Walk for Peace, a 2,300-mile pilgrimage on foot from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. It began October 26, 2025, and it’s expected to take around 120 days as they move through about 10 states with one simple mission: carry peace into public space, not as a slogan, but as a practice.

“And what made it hit me the hardest is where I caught them.

“McDonald’s. Waffle House. Power lines. Traffic. The usual American rush. The kind of scenery that tells your brain “hurry up, consume, keep moving.” Then here comes this line of discipline and devotion, robes moving like a quiet river through the loudest kind of modern backdrop. It felt like a reminder that peace doesn’t need perfect conditions. Peace is supposed to be strong enough to walk straight through the middle of our distractions.

“They aren’t doing this as a show. They walk with intention, and people are watching because it’s rare to see that kind of consistency. Thousands have been following them online, and when they enter a town, you can feel the atmosphere change because everyone instinctively knows this is bigger than a photo.

“If you’ve been keeping up with their story, you also know this isn’t a soft journey. In November, near Dayton, Texas, a truck hit their escort vehicle and it struck the monks, injuring multiple people. One monk suffered severe injuries and later had his leg amputated. And even with that pain and disruption, the walk has continued. That part matters, because it proves the message. Peace isn’t fragile. Peace is resilient.

“And then there’s Aloka, the dog walking with them, moving like a symbol of loyalty and gentleness alongside the whole pilgrimage. Something about that dog being right there in the formation makes the whole thing feel even more human, even more grounded.

“As the photographer, my goal wasn’t to interrupt them. I wanted to honor their pace, their route, their quiet. So I stayed out of the way and let the moment be what it was, while still capturing it for people who weren’t there and for the people who were there but didn’t realize they were watching history in real time.

“If you saw them, too, tell me where you were standing and what you felt. And if you didn’t, let these images remind you that peace is not a mood. Peace is movement. Peace is repetition. Peace is choosing your inner posture even when the world stays loud.”

I wish it had occurred to me to get in the car and drive to wherever they were. Because it was something I needed to see.
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by Ferris Robinson

Lena and Jeff Levendoski were unaware of the need for clothing for newborns. After all, their nursery was complete with drawers full of precious monogramed onsies and soft organic cotton swaddles and blankets edged in pale blue satin. They were so excited to bring their baby boy home from the hospital, and they were prepared to welcome and celebrate his safe delivery. They had been planning his arrival for months!
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Two weeks before he was due, in July 2007, they happily headed to the hospital to hear his heartbeat in utero, one of the last times before he was delivered. But his heart was still. Not beating. And they slowly realized their son Strick, named for Lena’s beloved late grandfather Strick Strickland, was not coming home. Instead, they planned his burial.

Grieving. Devastated. Bereft. The couple was given no explanation as to why their first child had died.

“Things happen,” Lena said, understanding life does not always go your way.

As the couple began to heal, Lena remembers driving over Monteagle Mountain. She and her husband had been thinking of a way to honor their son’s memory. Attuned, to the fact that a healthy birth is not a given, they both believe that all children who are born should be celebrated because it is absolutely a miracle that these beautiful children arrive safely. She got the idea for the foundation before they started up the mountain, and by the time they reached the bottom, “Strick’s Gift” was complete.

Strick’s Gift is a gift of clothing and blankets to celebrate and welcome newborns in need. Typically, there are 20 to 30 pieces of clothing, a blanket and maybe a few other items collected and packed in a cute canvas tote. Half of the clothes are gently used, donated by the community, and the other half are new, purchased with grants awarded or monetary donations.  

At first glance this may sound like simply a lovely gesture. After all, don’t most newborns receive all manner of precious baby things?

The truth is that they all do not. Almost half of them.

“When we began, we did not know the extent of the need until we approached the hospitals with this idea in 2008. It turns out, there is a staggering need for clothing for newborns,” Lena said.

Strick’s Gift serves four hospitals in Nashville and Erlanger in Chattanooga. This is a gift and cannot be mistaken as a handout. The adorable canvas bags, filled with sweet baby things that are lovingly wrapped in pastel tissue paper, are stamped with a logo and serve as a beautiful welcome gesture. And these gifts are appreciated.

“I met a new dad in a parking garage once outside of a hospital in Nashville. Admittedly, I was wary of this man approaching me in a semi-dark parking garage. However, it turned out he was a new dad, and he and his wife had just received a Strick’s Gift bag. He said that he’d recently lost his job, the baby came sooner than they expected, and they weren’t prepared. He said that as his wife went through the bag of clothing, she cried at every piece. It was a wonderful encounter that I will never forget,” Lena said.

The couple began this organization when they were barely a year into their profound grief. Explaining their plan made them relive their loss all over again. And again.

“We found ourselves talking about what happened a lot. I guess ultimately that was helpful but emotionally draining for sure,” Lena said.

But their effort to help others was a way to heal.  

“Grief requires a tremendous amount of energy. What I have learned is that giving, community service, and helping in any form can replenish the energy of the broken hearted, the lonely, the grieving the depressed - you name it. Serving others is a powerful anecdote,” Lena said.  

The card attached to the bags the child receives reads, “Welcome to the World, From one Angel to Another.”
What a lovely way to begin.

by Ferris Robinson

​I’d do anything if I could change what I’m doing on October 18. I wish it was going to be just another run-of-the mill day. A day of puttering about, and not getting much of anything done. Nothing special. Nothing memorable. Nothing painful.
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Cammy Robinson would have been 46 years old this year. She probably would be married, and maybe sending her children off to school. Her parents might be heading over to watch the football game at her house, or even babysitting for her. Her brother might be texting her about coming to see him for a visit. Her cousins would undoubtedly be in touch about her weekend plans.

Instead, they are all congregating at Coolidge Park to walk in her memory. Without her.

I know all of Cammy’s people, her family and friends, would give anything not to be getting up early and lacing up their tennis shoes in a couple of weeks. People coming out to offer their support, and fight this disease, wish this was not something they need to do. But the idea of her death being in vain is not an option.

Cammy Robinson had blond hair and almond-shaped eyes the color of the sea. She was inquisitive and loving and delightful. She was fascinated by lady bugs, and she had a sharp, quick wit. She was a beautiful girl. But, as a little girl, she was not skinny.

In junior high, she was suddenly not included in her clique. High school is tough enough, but she felt completely alone. She ate to feel better. For comfort.

She got heavier. Her senior year, she wasn’t asked to the prom. She believed it was because of her weight, and she decided to do something about it. In college, she began purging, or making herself throw up after eating. And then she barely ate enough to sustain herself. And then she would overeat and purge, in the thick of a vicious cycle.

She was thin when she came home from College of Charleston for Thanksgiving. She had cheekbones, and tiny jeans. You look great! Ooooh, you’re so thin! Keep it up! We all said these things to her. Repeatedly. We didn’t know.

This process of purging and overeating and starvation, all in the name of losing weight, affected her electrolytes. Electrolytes control the heart, causing it to beat regularly, and hers were off kilter because of the eating disorder.

Her junior year in college, when she should have been deciding what fraternity party to go to or what she was going to do for fun that weekend or what outfit she should wear, Cammy Robinson went into cardiac arrest.

Anorexia and bulimia are insidious. Unlike an infectious disease, or cancer, there’s no medicine to cure it. Unlike alcoholism, there’s no abstinence from eating. Food is something we must consume.

Cammy Robinson’s heart stopped beating for the last time when she was 26 years old. It had sustained too much damage from the ravages of the eating disorders.

Her parents wish they’d been more educated about it. They wish they could have seen it coming when she still had a chance. They know now that the earlier an eating disorder is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of survival.

The MCR Foundation, founded by Jan Robinson, Cammy’s mother, and Ashley Yates, Cammy’s best friend, provides resources for people affected by eating disorders.  Education and early intervention are so important, and for 20 years, the MCR Foundation has been making a difference. Doing good.

Still. I know her family wishes it never existed.

Please join the 20th annual 5K Walk/Run for Cammy’s Cause on Saturday, October 18, at Ross’s Landing. Check in/registration opens and 7:30 a.m. with the race beginning at 8:30 a.m. Kid-friendly, the bounce house, face paint, costume contest (for kids of all ages) and a mutt strut, Cammy’s Cause is not to be missed!

Learn more at www.mcrfoundation.com.

by Ferris Robinson

Saturday, September 13, Coolidge Park will be bustling with booths participating in an event entitled Unity on the Bridge Recovery Fest. Originally, when several recovery-focused organizations combined to raise public awareness about addiction, they held the event on the Walnut Street Bridge and opened it by holding hands and saying the Serenity Prayer as a blessing for our entire city. Now in its sixth year, this is the largest recovery event in central Tennessee. Its aim is to provide information about the resources available to help both sufferers of addiction and their families.

For much too long, suffering from alcoholism was considered a disgrace. Well into the 20th century, it was a closely guarded secret, hidden and denied by individuals and their families for as long as possible. Both the disease itself and the stigma attached to it destroyed reputations and lives, often irreparably. Add to this, abuse of drugs has resulted in a problem that has affected an estimated 32% of American families, a number that continues to grow every year.

The oldest recovery program is the 12 Step program, Alcoholics Anonymous. Known globally now as AA, it was created by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in 1935. They worked together, talking to each other about their difficulties in becoming and remaining sober and inviting others struggling with the same issues to join them. Amazingly, the process worked. They found that sharing their problems helped them find sobriety, and today, there are 123,000 AA groups around the world.

In 1939, the “Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous” was published outlining the 12 Steps, which the founders believed would arrest the disease and serve as a pattern of living that could create a healthy future if one were willing to “work the program.” Millions of people since then have found this to be true. In fact, the AA program has made such an impact that Bill Wilson (Dr. Bob died in 1950) was named as one of Time magazine’s Most Important People of the 20th century.

While Bill and other alcoholics were meeting in their home, Bill’s wife, Lois, was becoming aware of just how much his alcoholism had affected her and their whole family. Lois began inviting the wives to come into her kitchen and share their experience while their husbands met in the parlor. At the same time, Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne, was doing the same thing in their Akron, Ohio, home. From these humble beginnings a program designed to help families of alcoholics, called Al-Anon, was born.  Today, there are more than 24,000 Al-Anon groups in 133 countries. Later, Alateen was developed as a part of Al-Anon, specifically for teenage children of alcoholics.

Al-Anon is built on the same steps and principles as AA but has a different focus: the idea that addiction is a family disease. It can affect everyone in the family - materially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Al-Anon/Alateen focus is on those also affected rather than on the addict. They share their own experiences, the common problems that families deal with when living with their loved ones’ addiction. Most importantly, they learn what they can do for themselves to recover from those effects. From these two programs, other groups with focus on specific issues, such as Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), and Families Anonymous (FA), have begun, following the same principles and steps.

Unity on the Bridge is held to “embrace recovery for those who battle substance abuse disorder,” officials [of the event] said. “This is a day of coming together and celebrating recovery as we fight to save so many lives.”

It will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with dozens of organizations sharing information on recovery, housing, and mental health services, along with speakers, live music, food trucks, and a talent competition with cash prizes. Everyone is welcome. Sammie Hartman, chairman in 2024, said that the goal “is to make sure that not one single person goes [away] without the knowledge that recovery is possible …”
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by Carol Lannon

“People don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.” These insightful and wise words are often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, but no matter who said them originally, let that truth sink in for a minute. And then consider the fact that Siskin Children’s Institute’s StarNight Gala is just around the corner, Saturday, August 23, 2025. This year’s event holds special significance as it marks the Institute’s 75th anniversary of bringing hope for children and families in our community.

For 75 years, Siskin Children’s Institute has been a cornerstone of support, empowering children with disabilities and their families through life-changing services. Since its founding in 1950, the Institute has been a beacon to building a brighter future for children of all abilities, and StarNight 2025 will honor these incredible milestones while spotlighting the true stars of Siskin - the children whose strength, resilience, and joy inspire us daily.

Patti and Jim Frierson know firsthand how critical, important and life-changing SCI is.

“Jim and I are grateful for the wonderful services that Siskin Children’s Institute provided to our daughter Anna and to us, as a family. We (and she) learned that anything is possible, and, after leaving Siskin she went on to Lookout Mountain School, and then Red Bank Middle and High School, where she was a cheerleader for 10 years! She is now at Chatt State and working at Warren and Griffin Law Firm. We owe so much to this strong start at Siskin. I continue to be involved because I want to assure that local families can continue to receive the expertise and experienced support that Siskin offers,” Patti shared.

Kim Leffew, director of alumnae engagement at GPS and StarNight committee member, also has personal experience with the Institute.

“Siskin didn’t just change our child’s life - it changed ours. The community of support we’ve received has given us hope and strength we never thought possible,” she said.

For the 2025 event, co-chairs Lynda Hood, executive director at the Chattanooga Bar Association, and Amanda Johns, director of people and culture at PlayCore, will join 25 community leaders who are all eager to help generate awareness about the developmental medicine and early intervention care provided at Siskin Children’s Institute. The committee is comprised of multiple leaders from many local businesses including CBL Properties, City Paper Company, Cornerstone Consulting Source, Emory Innovations, Inc., Fareri Academy, Girls Preparatory School, Husch Blackwell, NAI Charter, Shire Facial Plastic Surgery, Silverdale Baptist Academy, The Burd Law Firm, The Enterprise Center, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Transcard, Tennessee Valley Authority, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Vascular Institute of Chattanooga.

“We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate this year’s Diamond Anniversary at Star Night,” said Lynda Hood. “Siskin Children’s Institute is a remarkable organization that continues to make a profound impact on the lives of children and families in our community. Their dedication to providing essential resources, therapies, and support is truly inspiring. This milestone year is not only a celebration of their incredible work but also an opportunity for us all to come together, show our support, and help expand access to these vital services across the region. Let’s make this an unforgettable night of generosity, celebration, and hope for the future!”
“It’s been a while since we have had a team like this to help us with StarNight, said Don Mueller, president and CEO of Siskin Children’s Institute. We have the ability to help so many more children. Our only limiting factor for the number of children and families we can serve is funding. So, visit our website, sponsor a table, and help us make a difference in the lives of children today.”

Your support is vital to ensure that Siskin Children’s Institute continues its mission for another 75 years and beyond. You are invited to join us in this momentous celebration by becoming a sponsor or donating today. Visit www.siskin.org/starnight to learn more about sponsorship opportunities and stay updated on this unforgettable evening.

Together, let’s celebrate the stars of Siskin Children’s Institute and shine a light on the future of hope for children and families. Don’t miss this historic event and be part of a lasting legacy!

by Ferris Robinson

Michelle and Chris Ray and their four daughters of Ringgold, Ga., are the true picture of a family in motion, in every sense of the word. Michelle and Chris Ray founded Chattanooga-based Addie Ray Racing in 2018, a remarkable nonprofit that reflects not only the couple’s passion for marathon and triathlon participation and an overall commitment to a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but most importantly, Addie Ray Racing is a testament to Michelle and Chris’s most firmly held personal values of inclusion, selfless generosity and above all, an unwavering dedication to family principles.

Built on the core belief that everyone, regardless of physical state or medical condition, is entitled to experience the “exhilaration of crossing a finish line,”, the Addie Ray Racing organization enables disabled or “differently abled,” a designation Michelle prefers) individuals to compete in organized public races (such as marathons and triathlons) while seated in a specially designed running wheelchairs, affectionately referred to as  “chariots,” customized for the assisted athlete and able to convert into bicycle trailers, if needed for the biking portions of  triathlons. At Addie Ray Racing events, each chariot is pushed by a volunteer runner and together the duo, referred to individually as the “chair athlete” and the “chair pusher,” complete the race as one, ultimately crossing the finish line and more importantly, providing a most unique and rewarding experience for each. 

The founding of Addie Ray Racing was set in motion by a series of serendipitous and unexpected events in the lives of Michelle and Chris Ray. College sweethearts at the University of Alabama, they wed in 2003 and within the span of 13 years they became parents to four daughters, Gracie, Glory (nicknamed Addie), Mercy and Honor. Second daughter, Addie, was born with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neuro-genetic condition resulting in cognitive and physical challenges that require around-the-clock care. Undaunted, Michelle and Chris adjusted seamlessly to Addie’s unique needs with their customary positive outlook and creativity, redesigning their career paths in decidedly entrepreneurial directions by crafting professions with flexible hours, ensuring 24//7 parental care for Addie.

A licensed midwife, in 2005, Michelle launched her own midwifery practice offering full spectrum maternity care. As practice owner, Michelle is able to establish hours that accommodate Addie and coordinate with Chris’s schedule. On a personal level, Michelle finds tremendous satisfaction as a midwife, describing her vocation as “a great and wonderful job… Giving birth is an emotional time for women, but in the best way possible. Mothers want only to love and protect their babies, and it’s my privilege to help them navigate their pregnancy and childbirth experience.” 

Chris has also carved out a career that is personally gratifying and also enables him to create a flexible schedule, prioritizing the wellbeing of his family. Graced with an innovative business acumen and a college degree in marketing, Chris runs a business that places caregivers in homes of the elderly, giving seniors the option of aging and dying at home. As a teenager, Chris witnessed a protracted illness and home death of his father, providing him with a unique understanding of what transpires when a family member dies at home, from the perspective of both the family and the ailing family member. This event was instrumental in leading Chris toward a career that allows him to draw on his experience and thoughtfully guide others through this challenging period eventually faced by most families. The couple’s work choices of Michelle welcoming those at the start of life’s journey and Chris supporting those at the end demonstrate not only the couple’s selfless and nurturing characters, but also reflect, in harmonious and near perfect symmetry, the full circle of care they provide.

As Michelle and Chris approached their mid-30s, the happy, busy and hard-working parents were out of shape and overweight. Additionally, Michelle had developed a worrisome health concern, whereby she was unable to hold down food. (Unaware of it at the time, this stomach condition would become a catalyst that would lead the Ray family in a completely unexpected direction that would impact their lives, and the lives of many others, in ways they could have never predicted.)

Visiting doctors but finding few answers, Michelle and Chris, with their usual upbeat determination, took charge of resolving Michelle’s diet mystery, culminating in a reevaluation and complete overhaul of the family’s diet, exercise habits and overall health and wellbeing.

First and foremost, to identify the offending food source, the Rays moved to a house with enough land to plant their own vegetables and fruit and raise chickens, cows, pigs and ducks. By adapting a purer, more organic diet, Michelle lost considerable weight, her stomach problems were resolved, and most significantly, healthy eating habits eventually became a permanent way of life for the entire Ray family. With a whole-body approach to health, the couple also started exercising, soon becoming avid runners. And while celebrating Michelle’s 35th birthday in Hawaii, Michelle, Chris and friends made the providential decision to hike the renowned Iron Man triathlon course in Kona. This period marked the beginning of the Ray family’s love affair with running and competitive racing.

The habit of running together as a family unit, as a default solution to childcare, transformed into a more beloved pastime when Addie was 9. With her energetic nature and preference to be “out and about and on the move at all times,” at a 5K in Dalton, Michelle seized the opportunity to borrow a sports wheelchair from a group of wheelchair athletes, giving her a chance to push Addie along the course of the race. An instant success, Michelle said Addie “had so much fun! She screamed, she laughed, she grinned. She just totally ate it up.”

Though the chariot is an expensive piece of equipment, Chris and Michelle immediately recognized its value so they created a GoFundMe enabling them to purchase Addie her very own chariot. This was a seminal moment for Addie, marking the start of her relationship with running, existing to this very day. Michelle explains, “almost 20, racing is still Addie’s No. 1 thing … she loves speed and loves to go, go, go…” Additionally, having a chariot impacted not only Addie, but, whether enjoying a leisurely Sunday jog or competing in a full blown marathon, the chariot enabled the Rays to run as a family unit, with all their girls gleefully in tow, most notably Addie, front and center, wearing the brightest smile of all.

But to Chris and Michelle, most stunning was the small miracle that occurred as the result of the wheelchair purchase. In being able to offer Addie the support and means to run and race, they unlocked doors and removed obstacles imposed by a physical condition that otherwise would have blocked her from partaking in some of life’s most basic, but also most affirming and confidence building experiences, such as being part of a group, understanding the vicissitudes of competition, and being able feel the pure and unparalleled joy of crossing a finish line. 

Noting the profound impact that racing made on Addie’s sense of self, engagement with the world and overall quality of life, planted a seed in the minds of Chris and Michelle, blossoming ultimately into their decision to create the nonprofit, Addie Ray Racing, in 2018. Michelle explains, “We just wanted other kids to feel empowered by their disabilities and to have as much fun as Addie was having! We also wanted to help other parents catch a break from caregiving, which can be constant for some families.” Surprisingly, it was slow going at first, as Michelle notes, “It’s actually really difficult to talk parents into letting their disabled children race. They are often fearful of what might happen to them… It took a lot of volunteers in the racing community to sit down with the parents… before they agreed to join in.”

Reluctance to participate was short lived, however. Since then, Addie Ray Racing has grown into a well-oiled organization, comprised of a cadre of dedicated volunteers, a fleet of 11 chariots, and a waiting list of wheelchair athletes eager to run in any of the approximately 13 yearly races in which Addie Ray Racing athletes compete. Most importantly, Addie Ray Racing has grown into a comprehensive and supportive community of local wheelchair athletes and families, providing a priceless and meaningful opportunity for all involved. Learn more at Addierayracing.org.
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by Sally Burke