Anne Jolles
Anne Jolles (Sargent’76) of Plymouth, Mass., writes, “In 2012, my son was in combat in Afghanistan, and I was struggling to cope. I read an article about the Appalachian Trail and the question was, ‘Who’s hiking the trail?’ The answer was, ‘It’s vets walking off their war.’ I thought, ‘Where do I walk off my war?’ Since I couldn’t get to that trail, I created Grace Trail in my hometown of Plymouth, which thousands have since embraced. My mission: Support people and communities worldwide to build greater resiliency and access hope and possibility.” She notes that the five Grace Trail words and questions are gratitude (What am I grateful for?), release (What do I need to release?), accept (What is calling out for acceptance?), challenge (What is my next challenge?), and embrace (What can I embrace as possible?). “You don’t have to come to Plymouth,” she adds. “You can walk or talk it anywhere, anytime just by asking those five questions. As an occupational therapist and certified life coach for 18 years, I’ve joyfully observed the meaningful impact Grace Trail has had on so many others. People are yearning for a simple way to move toward hope, past their challenge—they find it here. This motivation of human spirit fuels me.”
From the Fall 2018 issue.