In 2002, I was Miss New Jersey, and Sally Johnston was the traveling companion who accompanied me through my year of service. It was a time of pageantry and excitement, but Sally's love and support was a profound part of that experience. Every moment as "Sally's Girl" was an honor, one I humbly share with countless other women who form the Miss New Jersey Sisterhood. 

Sally is a legend within the Miss America Organization, and she has described her tireless service as her "ministry". Alongside her role as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Sally has woven a vast web of goodness that is her legacy. An artist, teacher, and storyteller, she brings equal parts beauty and laughter to the world leaving an impact that transcends words. When Sally looks at you with her "eyes of love," you are Love, as her Divine messages suggest. 

 

"For in the winds of all adversity stands the calm Dove of Peace."

​

Sally asked for my help with this treasure of a book in a casual way. Her humility belied the sacredness that I was to encounter within its words, and my first read left me awe-struck. When I asked her how it came to be, she recalled to me the ordinary afternoon she heard, "For in the winds of all adversity stands the calm Dove of Peace." This sentence persistently demanded her attention, until she picked up a pen and wrote it down in her whimsical cursive, followed by the messages that flowed spontaneously throughout the next seven years. 

​

Every line remains near its original perfection, in prose replete with layers of meaning I am yet to fully understand. I do know it has been a gift to bear witness to this book, and to aid in the process that makes it available today. Ultimately, that my role in its creation is among the most important things I will do in my life - but one of Sally's many disciples, who are weaving threads of her love in this world.