PLYMOUTH – The Grace Trail in Plymouth, Massachusetts has special meaning on Veterans Day.
A circular walk along the path takes one and a half kilometers and the five stones you pass along the way inspire stories.
What is the Grace Trail?
This is what is written on each stone:
G for gratitude – What am I grateful for?
R for release – What do I have to let go of?
A for accept – What do I have to accept?
c for challenge – What is my next challenge?
E for embrace – What can I embrace as possible?
According to trail creator Anne Jolles, all five letters are meant to uplift.
CBS Boston
“Veteran Inspired”
“This track started when I was really going through a hard time when my son was in Afghanistan, so this is actually a veteran-inspired story. I was having trouble coping and he came back, he’s home,” she told WBZ- TV.
“When he was in Afghanistan, I felt so low that every time I asked the five Grace Trail questions, I felt better. My husband sat me down and said, ‘Let’s do Grace together. We walked every night walk around the block together, ask and answer those questions. Every time we felt better, he’ll tell you too.”
There are three simple rules on the Grace Trail.
“You don’t have to answer the question or share your answer with anyone else. You can keep it private. The second is: what you hear on the trail stays on the trail and the third is just listen,” Jolles said.
“Very moving”
“It’s very moving,” Vietnam veteran John Gulielmetti told WBZ. “I run into a number of other veterans. I was a lieutenant during the Vietnam period. I really appreciate its presence and I think there is a real message for veterans here.”
“We have ten licensed routes, I would like to have a route in every state,” Jolles said. “I would say I’ve heard from thousands of people (about) the impact the Grace Trail has had on their lives.”
Visit the Grace Trail website for more information.
