John Paul Hong, “I simply could not keep up with Father”

Some of my own memories of time I spent with Father concern just how hard he works. Often when he goes fishing, he will go out early in the morning and return to East Garden (his home in New York state) between 6:30 and 8:00 PM. He may eat dinner by around 9:00 and then gather with FFWP leaders to discuss things and plan for future Family Federation events. These talks can last a long time—often until well after midnight!

One day Father had been fishing most of the day, and after dinner met with leaders until 1:00 AM. Finally, he called the meeting to a close and sent us all home to get some rest. By the time I had driven the twenty-five to thirty miles to my home in New Jersey, it was 2:00 AM. After writing some memos, I settled down to sleep around 2:30 AM. At 3:00 AM the telephone rang. One of the staff from East Garden was calling. “Father is on the steps outside, waiting for someone to go out fishing with him! Someone should go with him.” I drove back to East Garden, and by the time one or two other leaders had arrived and we were ready to go out, it was around 4:00 in the morning. Father fished all day, keeping a similar schedule to the one he had followed the day before. By the end of the day, I was groggy with tiredness. I found I simply could not keep up with Father, although I am many, many years younger.

From I Am in This Place, pp. 82-83.