500 Celebrate Parents' Day in South Gate, CA

by Mark Eastman-New California Times

The August heat didn't deter the more than 500 men, women, and children who turned out for the National Parents' Day program in South Gate.

Sponsored by the City of South Gate, Commission for South Gate Youth, and National Parents' Day Coalition, the event honored the 1997 Parents of the Year and nominees from all public schools in South Gate.

"I'm proud of these individuals because they have been so unselfish and deserve to be recognized as outstanding citizens of the community," said Susan Janer, a coordinator for the activity.

Janer visited each of the ten elementary schools, South Gate Middle School, and South Gate and Odyessy high schools, soliciting entries for Parent's of the Year.

The winning couples were awarded beautiful, custom framed color portraits of their families, which will hang for at least a month in City Hall. Portrait recipients seemed "overwhelmingly grateful to receive such a nice surprise," said Janer.

All of the nominees received proclamations from the City of South Gate, presented by South Gate Vice Mayor Mary Ann Buckles who represented Mayor Bill Martinez, who couldn't be there. The husband and wife of each chosen couple crossed a "Bridge of Friendship," where many embraced each other and became a truly re-dedicate couple. Later all couples in the audience were invited to cross the bridge.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was South Gate Youth Commissioner Bill Baum, accompanied by his wife, Jean. Baum was assisted by Project JADE Director Marcos Vega. Also facilitating was Godwin D'Silva, general manager of the New California Times.

Rick Joswick of the Family Federation for World Peace offered the invocation, followed by the Flag Salute, presented by San Antonio District Boy Scout Troop #468 of South Gate. John Holmes provided entertainment on the keyboard.

South Gate City Manager Andrew Pasmant gave a moving keynote address, focused on the merits of a strong family.

Early on during the program proclamations were presented to Commission on South Gate Youth Chairman Dianna Winnor by representatives of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Assemblywoman Martha Escutia, and for the City of South Gate by Vice Mayor Buckles.

In addition to honoring Parent's Day families, close to 50 married couples chose to rededicate their marriages in a ceremony sponsored by the Women's Federation for World Peace, Era Thompson presiding. Among those participating were Bill and Jean Baum, who have been married for over 51 years.

National Parents' Day is America's newest day of commemoration, signed into law by President Bill Clinton on Oct. 14, 1994, following unanimous adoption by the United States House of Representatives and Senate, and endorsed by 39 state governors.

"The purpose of this day is to reinforce the importance of the role of parents in raising healthy children," according to Dr. Robert G. Grant, chairman of the National Parents' Day Coalition. "Kids are in trouble because families are in trouble," he added.

The 1997 Parents of the Year and their affiliations included:

Juan and Eustolia Garcia, Montara School; Ramon and Yolanda Ramos, Odyssey School; Fernando and Hilda Morales, Stanford School; Pablo and Margarita S. Gamez, State Street School; Mike and Patty Nagel, South Gate Optimist Club; Jose Luis and Noemi Lopez, Tweedy Elementary School; and Gabriel and Ivonne Loucel, Victoria Avenue School.

Others included: Jesus and Sonia Miranda, San Gabriel Elementary School; Lionel and Karla Sirias, Liberty Boulevard Elementary School; Robert and Melody Hernadez, Bryson Avenue School; Jose and Mary Segura, South Gate Community; Jose and Socorro Enrique, Family Federation for World Peace; and Daniel and Maria Isabel Parra, South Gate Middle School, San Miguel Avenue Elementary School.

World Era of Blessed Families

This is an excerpt from a sermon given May 4, 1997 at the Belvedere International Training Center, Tarrytown, NY. The interpreter was Mr. Peter Kim.

Even if you establish a couple, if you do not produce children then you have not formed a Blessed family. Therefore, it is important that we understand the term "Blessed family," not just Blessed couple. In a family there should be grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren.

Ordinarily, secular people do not have an understanding of "cosmos." This is like our own unique term. The cosmos includes the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, both worlds. It means the unification of these two worlds. Since people do not understand the term cosmos Father uses the word segye or world. Internally we should understand the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification to mean the Family Federation for Cosmic Peace and Unification, the Cosmic Era of Blessed Families. This particular title has recently been given to you.

The Family Federation for Cosmic Peace and Unification includes within it the meaning of the entire Unification Church down to the individual. The individual is included here, unification is included here and the church is included here. Centering upon the individual, what is subject? (The mind.) When you have to apply yourself as an individual to this particular title, where do you belong? Cosmos? Peace? Unification? or Family Federation? Where? (Family.) "I" can be interpreted as the representative of the whole. Therefore, I can say that I represent the entire cosmos; I represent unification; I represent family federation; I represent the cosmic era. I represent the movement of the Blessed family as an individual. In terms of value, they are equal. Subject and object, plus and minus relationship is of equal value.

"I" can represent the cosmos, peace, unification and even God, and the Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth as well as in Heaven. Do you follow? What about your eyes? This eye may represent me. Even your nose can represent you. Your ear, mouth, hand, foot and even a small cell in your arm can represent you, a human being as a whole. Man's sexual organ can represent all men. You can represent the universe. In love, what is it that comes together in order to create love? (Male and female sexual organs.) Man as a big plus and woman as a big minus [Father draws a diagram on the board]. The is the meeting point between husband and wife as a small plus and a small minus. This is big, as a whole man (a big plus); as a whole woman (a big minus) [indicating to the diagram], but when they make love, the small plus and small minus come together and become one. In this you have your limbs and billions of cells. But here [indicating to the board] this is smaller. This particular organ represents the entire cells and organs of yourself. When you make love don't you think that the cells in your body become active? (Yes.) Everything in your body works toward one goal. That is what we call unification. That is where plus and minus combine together and peace is created. As a whole, when this phenomena occurs, the base for a family is established. The extension of this is the world which we refer to as man's world and woman's world. It extends further to the cosmic level. [Father continues to draw on the board] This is the very beginning point to build the Kingdom of God on Earth. That is why love is so precious.

Please remember that there is only one vertical line. There is just one central point, never two. The horizontal and vertical lines should be perpendicular. Centering on that central point, if this vertical and horizontal line begin to move around in a circular motion, then the entire universe will begin to revolve. In that center, we can find God, as well as the family of God; family of nation, family of world, family of the cosmos. That center represents everything that we can imagine. We should understand this concept clearly. No matter how small a woman may be, she should have confidence that she is the representative of the entire female world. The same is true for men. You can even think that you represent your grandmother and all your ancestors. As a woman, you represent all the mothers who went before you as well as all the wives in your time period. You should also think that you, as a woman, represent all the elder and younger sisters in the world. Any woman has a lineage. If we were able to pull her lineage out from her, don't you think that all the female ancestors would be pulled out? Stretching like a rubber band, they are not disconnected, but rather part of the same line. In our mind, we should desire to become the representative of the entire humanity and entire world. We should desire to become a queen of queens, grandmother, mother, wife, daughter, sister, the representative of all female figures.

You ugly men have the same feeling, don't you? If Father were to pull your lineage line out like a rubber band, then your father, grandfather, great grandfather, all the way back to Adam would be pulled out also.

You are the representatives of all the male and female figures throughout history. If God comes down here and sees what is happening, do you think that He would be happy to see only one tribal lineage or the lineage all the way back to Adam and Eve? (All the way back.) If you want to provide the road upon which God will travel, would you like to offer your lineage zig-zagging all the way to Adam, or a straight super highway lineage back to Adam? (straight super highway.) If you want to do that, then you have to make sure that you become a good enough representative so that your entire ancestry will support you in one line! You should not live your life in a zig-zag fashion. Once you build this super highway it should be straight and wide all the way to the end. It should not be both wide and narrow. Because of the fall of man, this road is sometimes upside down and really narrow in places so that one cannot pass.

Within our teaching we use the term "individual truth body." Within our body there are over forty billion cells. If all of these forty billion cells individually insist on being the better one and insist on doing whatever they wish, can we exist as a human being? (No.) If the cells in your eyes and nose or ears and mouth begin to insist that each is better than the other, or insist on their own way, we would have trouble. If all forty billion cells claim to be the best then where can you find that kind of cell? Love organ cell. Repeat after me, love organ cell. (Love organ cell.) Wow! People might claim the Unification Church to be heretical because Reverend Moon often speaks about sexual organs, but in reality, we are not heretics. Do you feel this is real? (Yes.) If you truly understand and believe in my message, don't you think that the cells in your sexual organ will give a loud "mansei"? Or will they feel ashamed? (MANSEI! ) Even among the sexual organ cells there are plus and minus sexual organ cells. Which one is the mainstream cell among them? (Plus.) If there are only plus cells then there would be no continuation. [Laughter] The plus cells in your sexual organ should be able to say, well my representative is the minus cell. Likewise, the minus cells should claim the plus cells as their representative.

In other words, the plus cells in your sexual organ should claim that they are living for the minus cells; that it is their ultimate goal to meet with the minus cells. The minus cells should claim the same thing toward the plus cells. Once this desire from the plus and minus cells come together and become totally one, then as a combined being they will explode like a rocket. They become so powerful because they want to occupy the love center, which is God. The power of love is like that. With regard to the representative cells, do you think that two minus cells would come to be united with one plus cell or would there be only one partner? (Only one.) Yes, only one plus and one minus, not two. One partner means an absolute, unchanging being. Love concept has that kind of content.

Even this cosmic era of the Blessed family concept includes all the explanations which I have just given to you. Also, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification is included here. Now Father wants to pose a question to you. Up until this point, have we been seeking this one-to-one cell love life, such as the one plus and one minus sexual organ cells have? Or have we deviated and entertained different thoughts? Which is it, all the way straight or not? Our way must be the one way and the highway course; only one cell to one cell. Suppose there is one plus cell and ten minus cells appear, will you welcome them or reject them? (Reject.) Among all of these billions of cells within our sexual organ, there should be a king figure plus cell and queen figure minus cell truly centered upon God. But has our life really been supporting, strengthening and widening this super highway or have we deviated and held back? This is the question we need to ask ourselves. Suppose there is one plus king cell and ten minus queen cells appear. As only one, you cannot deal with them. In order to deal with them, you would have to have ten sets of eyes, ten sets of ears, ten noses. It is too complicated. Absolute unification can never occur under these circumstances. Do you understand?

Have you Blessed couples been living your lives up to the standard, this king and queen cell standard? Or have you lived your lives like shrimps caught in a shrimp net, helpless and unable to do anything? What kind of life experiences have you had up until this point? Do you understand what I am trying to say? This net, a woman's net, exists in order to catch a man. There is also a man's net which exists to catch a woman. You end up like shrimp caught in the fishing net. I will elaborate upon my question to you a little more. Have you been caught in one of these nets and had your activities limited because of this? Or have you been totally free from these nets and lived your lives as king and queen cells, becoming united and exploding like thunder and lightening or shooting like a rocket? What kind of life have you lived up until this point? The life of the fish net or the life of the rocket? (Rocket.) If you pull the shrimp net up, there are usually many dead shrimp found in it. Some are alive, but are weak. Similarly, how miserable people are in the world because of these nets. Even though this handsome gentleman's hair is very ugly [indicating to a member of the audience], still his hair desires to live a king and queen cell life. Don't you think that the hair would think that way? (Yes.)

If all the forty billion cells in your body were to complain against you, what would be your destination, Heaven or Hell? (Hell.) The bottom of Hell. Do you feel real? The dividing line between Heaven and Hell is within the sexual organ. The sexual organ is the most fearful and also the most precious place. If you follow the king and queen cell road then that will lead to the most precious place. Do you want to find the most fearful or the most precious place? (Precious.) Those who are willing to follow this most precious way, the king and queen cell way of life, show your hands to Father. The world around us is filled with free sex advocators. Do we find anyone like you out in the secular world? (No.) Do you have confidence in that? (Yes.) Thumb up or thumb down? (thumb up.) Up until this point there may have been some zig-zag lines caused by wrong doings in the past. But from this time on, since I proclaimed the Cosmic Era of Blessed Families, we have to straighten everything out.

What is the meaning of True Father? What does it mean to you? True Father means that all the cells are true king cells, the true king cells which represent all the hundreds of billions of cells. What about True Mother? True Mother means the true queen cells which represent the entire existing cells. True Father represents plus and True Mother represents minus. Don't you think that they should have the same direction when they unite? (Yes.) [Father draws on the board] This upper section represents plus and minus centered upon God. The lower section represents plus and minus centered upon True Father and True Mother. When it begins to make a circular movement, it should be centered upon the central meeting point of the vertical and horizontal lines. This is the central point where all the billions and billions of cells become united representing the individual, family, society, nation and world. But if we cut this right hand side in half with the vertical line [indicating to the board], it represents the big plus and the other side the big minus. Once this big plus and minus combine into one, the entire being becomes united. Therefore the circular movement occurs.

When it comes to the meaning of True Parents, we have to trace all the way back to the one cell level. The king plus cell and queen minus cell must become absolutely one. Then from that point on as an individual, and a couple, True Parents should win the victory at each level, the cellular level, individual level, couple level, family level, national level, entire world level, and eventually totally one with God. That is why it is a prerequisite to establishing our Blessed family in order to build the Kingdom of God. Even True Parents have to build the ideal family first. Even if your body takes a certain direction for a particular purpose, your mind knows what is happening. If it is a wrong direction, your mind may say, "you, eyes, why do you look in that direction? You, nose, why do you smell in that direction?" Your mind knows what they are looking and smelling for. Is this not true? (Yes.)

Since you clearly declared that you have understood, then I have the right to erase this from the board. When it comes to completion, I am referring to world level completion and even cosmic level completion. Centering upon what? Centering upon family. Because even the Family Federation is centered upon the family. What kind of family? Whose family? (God's family.) My family. Your family. If there is even one cell among the forty million cells of a Blessed couple that is complaining and demonstrating against you, then you cannot build the original family. At the cosmic level, each family is like one cell representing our body. This means that each family represents all the cosmic families. In your family life, the minds of your family members know which direction is right. If your family is heading in the wrong direction, the minds of your family members should know. If the father and mother are doing something wrong, then the children and other family members should know about it. If the elder brother is doing something wrong, then even the younger brother would know that. Then how can we take care of these problems? Because there is room for these problems to exist, God has given this kind of model: Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, and Absolute Obedience. This should be our daily motto. Our entire family should live centered upon this motto because this is the road that the Family Federation for Cosmic Peace and Unification and the Cosmic Era of Blessed Families are on.

God wanted His creation to become totally united. Therefore He made certain that He created upon the foundation of absolute faith, love and obedience. That was God's aim and target. Everything was focused upon that goal. That was the first concept. The substantial creation is in the position of minus. God's focus, His mental unity was in the position of plus. This was displayed in His creation from the mineral kingdom, plant kingdom, animal kingdom and humanity. We can find plus and minus relationships within all of these kingdoms. Since God created on the basis of absolute faith, love and obedience, our life must be centered upon this standard also. As plus and minus, we should uphold the absolute standard. Also, in the relationship between the spiritual and physical worlds, this absolute standard of plus and minus should be there.

The vertical oneness between the spiritual and physical worlds should be manifested in a horizontal way within ourselves. Then we can see plus and minus in a vertical way, and plus and minus in a horizontal way. These two relationships meet at the core center. In this center we can find God, Adam, Eve and the entire creation. Do you understand? Therefore, in order to solve the possible problems that might occur, God gave us this daily motto of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience. Without strictly following this commandment, our lives will become more complicated.

August 1997

UTS Speech Contests

by Gareth Davies-Barrytown, NY

19th Annual Divine Principle Lecture Contest

Martin Herbst, a junior, took first place in the Divine Principle Lecture Contest on May 15th. Speaking on The Purpose of Creation, Martin used his own experience as a father of four children to effectively portray God's expectation of humankind. "Parents always want their children to be better than they are," he said. "I want my children to be smarter than me and more beautiful than me - if that's possible! God too wants humankind to be better and that's why he gave us the three blessings."

Rollain Muanda placed second with Prince Tambi in third. While presenting the prizes and trophy, President Shimmyo spoke of the importance of mastering the ability to effectively present Divine Principle to the world.

Korean Speech Contest

Noriko Maeda of Japan spoke fluently and passionately on the topic of "The Heart of God and Absolute Faith" to win the Korean Speech Contest on May 29th. Dr. David Carlson, Kazuhiro Tsusaka and Yoshihisa Fujino were the other prize winners. The event was organized by the UTS chaplain, Reverend Taek Yong Oh who also judged the contest along with Mrs. Moon Sook Yoon and Dr. Jaekil Park. President Shimmyo thanked the organizers for preparing an excellent event.

UTS Fishing Contest on the Hudson

Springtime fishing for striped bass is now a regular fixture on the Seminary calendar. Dozens of students traveled down to Croton Harmon throughout the month of May to go out on the Good Go boats from Half Moon Bay. The biggest fish of the season was caught from shore by staff member Mr. Tony Formby who hauled in a 39 incher. "Almost 40," said Tony, fully extending his long arms.

UTS Class of '97 Graduates

by Gareth Davies-Barrytown, NY

UTS Founder Reverend Sun Myung Moon set new heights for graduation challenges on Sunday, June 29th by exhorting the 48 members of the UTS class of 1997 to become "true parents, true teachers and true leaders." In his Founder's Address, which was read in his absence by Continental Director, Reverend Joong Hyun Park, Reverend Moon said "There are many parents, teachers and leaders in this world but the question is who among them are true parents, true teachers and true leaders? In my opinion, they are those who can not only teach how to become children of filial piety in the family, loyal citizens in the nation, saints in the world and holy sons and daughters in front of God, but also exemplify this way of filial piety, loyalty, sainthood and holy sonship and daughtership within themselves as parents, teachers and leaders."

Many of those sentiments were echoed by guest speaker Dr. Kevin Ryan who included, among a series of aphorisms, words of the Founder which he had encountered on a walk around the property. "If you want to be recognized by God," read Dr. Ryan, "you must live for the sake of God and for the sake of humanity." "If you don't recognize that one," he told the graduates, "you should give back your diplomas!"

Dr. Ryan will have understood better than most the notion of the "True Teacher" described by Reverend Moon. He is the founder of the Center for Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University and in 1990 he was cited by the Association of Teacher Educators as one of America's outstanding educators. In his address, titled "The Moral Crisis in Contemporary Education," he lamented the fact that teachers have lost their sense of moral authority and have instead become mere "information dispensers" or "knowledge jockeys." He traced this regression to the late 1960s when "an array of shattering intellectual conflicts" involving race, sex, drugs and the Vietnam War created a division and a loss of trust between young and old. It was during the confusion of those years, he said, that teachers began to privatize their morality and "lost the sense that they had something to tell the young."

The consequence of this loss of confidence and moral consensus, said Dr. Ryan, is that now our government, parents and schools are recognizing that we are raising a generation which receives little moral guidance. He described this time as a crucial moment in which there is a hope of recapturing the founding spirit of the American school system. That system, he said, was established "not to make people better burghers or shopkeepers but to make them able to handle the demands of democracy; to sit in judgment of one another, to make good laws and elect good people."

This crucial moment is, however, in Dr. Ryan's opinion, endangered by the way in which this new effort is being interpreted. He described three approaches to the current lack of moral guidance - "the three Vs: Values, Views and Virtues." The "Values" approach, he said, does not represent something of great moral purpose but is aimed at helping the young to clarify what they believe and want. The adult community stands back in order to let the young discover on their own. Dr. Ryan characterized this approach as "optimistic, dangerous and very ineffective." The "Views" approach, he said, involves passing on to the young correct views or ways to think about such topics as their gender or the distribution of goods. Again, said Dr. Ryan, "this is a far cry from true moral guidance."

Dr. Ryan expressed hope that the third approach, the "Virtue" approach, will prevail. This is the realm of moral excellence and "character education" which helps individuals to acquire virtues such as respect and love and to take on for life the development of their own character. The word "character," he said, comes from the Greek word for an engraving tool and he urged the graduates, as future teachers, to think in terms of engraving and making an indelible impression on people's souls. In this context, he praised the work of the International Education Foundation and Tony Devine, a current UTS student.

President Shimmyo's congratulatory remarks to the graduates focused on "The Most Powerful Weapon" which he said does not mean money, knowledge or power but instead means to "do things exactly the same way God does." He said that "since the foundation of the universe, God has always been working hard. Even the fall of Adam and Eve couldn't interrupt God's commitment to hard-working....In human history," he continued "no one ever worked hard the same way God has done. That is the reason why God's providence of salvation has been prolonged until today." He therefore urged the graduates to "dash into the realm of full responsibility to do things the same way God has been doing."

In the graduate response, Jesus Navarro spoke of the way in which America is viewed in his native country of Venezuela. "We see America like the Kingdom of Heaven, the paradise where you can fulfill all your dreams," he said. When he actually arrived in this country, however, he found immorality and hatred and it was not until he encountered the Unification Movement and came to UTS that he could feel any hope. "To resolve the problems of America," he said, "is not an easy task. It takes a life of service and sacrifice. That's why we come here, to experience multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious, family-like relationships. ...We are trained to become peacemakers. Peacemakers know that lasting and substantial peace comes only after true reconciliation from the bottom of the heart as in the family setting not with treaties or agreements of peace that hold back urges for revenge...Today is a day of hope, the 21st commencement. This is a new beginning for all of us, a spiritual awakening for the world lies in our hands. Let us become true brothers and sisters and parents. Let us build the American dream of loving and peaceful families. Let us work hard to save America."

Celebration Banquet

When "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "O Sole Mio," and "Nzila Zulu" are listed together on a program, you know it's either a Unificationist celebration or a Paul Simon concert! An eclectic gathering of gifted performers (the UTS Band, pianist Dr. Richard Arthur, soprano soloist Mrs. Moon Sook Choi Yoon and the UTS Africa choral group) made for a very entertaining graduation banquet with loud demands for encore performances. Once again, the drumbeats and bright spirit of the African brothers and sisters brought a roar of approval from the audience.

Dr. Kathy Winings drew on her personal experiences as a UTS graduate in offering the Faculty Greeting. While working with the International Relief Friendship Foundation, she has been exposed to the suffering of people in Haiti, in North Korea and in North Dakota following the recent floods. It is easy, she said, to become discouraged in the face of so much need and so much heartache but she told the graduates that "because of my training and experience here at UTS of experiencing and feeling the living God, I've been able to maintain a vision so that I can give these people more than just physical goods."

Dr. Winings assured the graduates of the world's need for their services. "Our society needs your wisdom, your pastoral counseling skills, your ability to teach religiously, your newfound acumen for interfaith and ecumenical dialog and it needs your very presence...God bless you and thank you."

Several of those attending the event expressed their appreciation for an inspiring and enjoyable day. Reverend Joong Hyun Park commented on the spirit of the students and graduates and told President Shimmyo that "perhaps I should encourage more of our members to come to UTS."

Reprinted from The Cornerstone.

Unexpected Single Parenthood - An Interview with Kaarina Jager

by Kasia Stevens-Albuquerque, NM

Nov. 27, 1985. In Albuquerque, New Mexico at Coors Road and Paradise Boulevard, a drunken truck driver killed my husband. My life changed forever when the police came to my door the night before Thanksgiving and told me the terrible news. Shock ran through me. I was alone in a foreign country with my two sons Risun and Austhan, who were one and two years old at the time. In an instant, their precious father became a vague memory and a set of pictures.

I decided to stay in America and not return to my native Finland. With the help of two friends, Marie-Yvonne Carbonneau and Chihei Sawada, I prevailed over that first heart-wrenching year. It would take several years to settle the court cases, to finalize my immigration and to grasp what had happened. I stayed in Roswell, New Mexico (south of Albuquerque) where I felt God had asked me to be. With His help I have been able to educate my sons, give to the community, and work on my teaching certificate. Currently, our elder son is studying in Korea.

I have been a member of the Unification Community for 23 years and was Blessed in 1978 in London. Our Blessing was specifically for the unity of Europe. We started our family in 1981 in New York City and moved to Roswell, NM in August 1984.

Q: Kaarina, thank you for sharing your experiences and insight with us. What do you think was the cause of the accident?

A: It has taken me over 10 years to fully understand the situation, but ultimately, I think Reinhard's family background was a very heavy spiritual burden for us. Reinhard is from Austria and his father was a Nazi. Even today some of his family deny the holocaust and are very antisemitic. In my lineage, the women are controlling. There were also several illegitimate children who were mistreated. These specific sins, as well as the myriads of sins we all encounter in our lineages, created a heavy spiritual burden for us to carry.

This difficult family history and our young marriage in combination with our intense church life kept us from being able to protect Reinhard. Furthermore, before and after Reinhard's death, three quarters of his family died-one right after the other. During that time our family met with several near-fatal accidents and assaults. Thank God we survived! I felt these deaths and attacks were also a result of the heavy sins in the lineage.

All of our negative paths need to be restored even if we are living in difficult situations. Our weapons in the battle of restoration are hope, a positive mind-set, and positive actions towards others. True Father teaches and exemplifies this attitude. Without our church and Divine Principle, I can't imagine how I could have coped. Although there was little understanding or help available from anywhere before Reinhard died, throughout the years after his death, many church members have helped us. I am grateful for True Parents and the Principle as well as for brothers and sisters who have written, called, visited and prayed for us.

Q: What effect did the accident have on your children?

A: They were so small that they do not remember Reinhard, and he hasn't contacted them or me since. They never really knew what it meant to have a father. Surely, they would love to have a Dad with whom to play sports, go fishing and just talk.

Q: How did you deal with the loneliness?

A: I stayed active in my missions of CAUSA, ICC, Tribal Messiahship and now the 3.6 million Couple Blessing. Of course, I also take care of everything financially. First, I fund-raised and then I was a substitute teacher. Soon I will finish my teaching degree. Plus, I keep our sons in school, take care of this old house/center, the car and our dog!

I love to read and watch movies in order to gain insight, and I made several conditions throughout the years. Some of them were quite extensive. The conditions included prayer, study and service to others.

Still, there is some pain, especially when True Father so lovingly talks about the relationship between husband and wife. I certainly wish that we could have spent more time together and been able to share our deepest hearts. I wish also that we could have spent time in Finland and Austria together as a family. I dream about a big banquet for all our relatives with my husband, me, Risun and Austhan in attendance!

Q: What important things did you learn from Reinhard's passing?

A: 1. Don't take your spouse for granted, and don't expect your spouse to do it all. It is so much more rewarding to be able to share your thoughts and everyday life with a substantial person than to try to connect "spiritually". [This is especially true because we hardly knew each other due to the intensity of the mission and the shortness of time.]

2. Get a life insurance policy. [We didn't have one.]

3. Get a life! I have to cultivate my spiritual life, continue my education and work at my mission.

We are products of our family, lineage and national history. If there are serious problems in the lineage and nation, we must exert great effort to make progress. Our family, tribe and nation rises and falls with us. Now I am fighting in the educational arena as a teacher and by being involved in organizations and activities. There is plenty of work to be done!

Q: What process did you go through to learn those lessons and how long did it take?

A: I had no choice but to start learning right away. However, it has taken me years to overcome feelings of betrayal and disappointment, especially since I am left alone to deal with his difficult family. It is only by cultivating a grateful heart that we can protect our immediate and extended family. Our good attitude and actions can hold back the floodgates of judgment against our family and tribes.

I have always maintained communication with my central figures-my spiritual lifeline. I also made conditions of studying the Principle and being active in my community. I have participated in Neighborhood Watch, Crime Prevention Council, Chiefs' Forum, Roswell Historic District, Parent Teacher Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and other volunteer work.

I realized that Reinhard's and my family and similar in some ways, yet his indemnity was really heavy. Before his death, my husband was struggling with many issues. I had to forgive him and his family, which still at times is not easy. I am grateful that Reinhard brought us to America. I am also grateful that Reinhard persevered for four years of our family life and that we were able to have two wonderful sons! Reinhard had been in the church just 13 years.

Q: What were your priorities before the accident and have they changed since then?

A: I always wanted to live for a good cause and to share my life with someone working for the same cause. Now the priorities are the same, but it is much harder! Practical things like plumbing and taking care of the house and car are not my forte. Being a widow for many years, it is much more difficult to witness about the Blessing. Obviously, raising two sons without a husband and father is the biggest challenge. Luckily, my family (especially my father) has been quite supportive.

Q: What would you like to say to others?

A: Get help fast if there are spiritual or physical problems and talk to someone if there are family problems. On the practical side, get a life insurance policy, because you don't need extra financial pressure when you are grieving. We must continue to improve ourselves and help others rather than dwell upon what might have been. Also, appreciate your spouse and be grateful for the good things which happen to you.

Interviewer's note: This article is dedicate in love to all those precious members who have lost their spouses. I am sure each of you has a story to tell and profound lessons to teach. I wish I could have interviewed all of you.

Kaarina is making an album for her children. She is looking for people who knew Reinhard and is hoping that you will send her any pictures, mementos, or thoughts you have of him. Her address is: Kaarina Jager, 205 S. Lea, Roswell NM 88201 or call her at 505-622-5176.

The Washington Times Celebrates 15 Years Western Literary Conference held DC

By Michael Marshall-Washington, DC

Almost 1,000 Washington VIPs, including senators, congressmen, ambassadors, city leaders, religious leaders and scholars, joined members of the staff of the Washington Times Corporation, as well as the 340 participants in the Western Literary Conference, at the Grand Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington D.C. on the evening of June 16 to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Washington Times newspaper.

The gathering received videotaped greetings from former presidents Reagan and Bush, while Senator Orrin Hatch delivered the keynote speech. In it he noted that, after the demise of communism, we had to be careful not to think that the free market triumphant could by itself solve all the problems of society. Only with the practice of spiritual ideals could that goal be achieved.

Reverend Moon delivered the Founders' Address, the first time he has given a formal speech at a Washington Times function and therefore an event of historic providential significance. The speech was carried live by C-SPAN and repeated twice later by them. The text of Father's speech was meant to appear on two video screens as he spoke but a technical glitch meant that those at the banquet had to try to follow Father's English which was far from easy. However, it says much for the regard in which Father is now held that a mere handful of people left during the speech, the others attentively trying to follow.

For the participants at the Western Literary Conference, or, to give its full name "The Search for a New World Culture for the 21st Century: Western Literary Perspectives" this was the second time to hear Reverend Moon speak, since he delivered "View of the Principle of the Providential History of Salvation" at the opening plenary session of the conference. By this time several of the participants had developed what can only be described as a fascination with Reverend Moon. In part this was an interest in and support of his message, particularly on marriage and family. But they also sensed his passionate conviction and were moved by it.

Many of the literary conference participants were in an overflow room following the anniversary banquet on closed circuit TV. Once the speeches started, people began to drift out. At a certain point in Father's speech, however, the staff distributed copies of Father's speech to the couple of hundred people still in the room. From then on nobody left. They stayed following the speech in their printed texts.

The literary conference itself was a significant success. It followed on the Asian Literary conference held in April. Frankly, with the strong place that critical secular thinking holds in Western tradition, I thought that this conference would be more difficult than the Asian conference. This turned out not to be the case, although the logistical challenge was greater. The participants came from 110 different countries with the term "Western" being stretched to include Latin America, Africa and Oceania as well as Europe (including Russia) and North America.

The conference followed the same format as the Asian literary conference, with several guest speakers, committee session on topics such as "Tradition and Modernity," "Literature and Human Rights," and "The Interaction of Cultures," and presentations of the Principle through the True Character and Family Life Education sessions developed by the International Education Foundation.

Paul Johnson, the noted popular historian, gave the keynote address at the opening plenary session, taking a broad view of the coming century and making bold and imaginative predictions. He was not afraid of being controversial - some participants thought certain of his remarks were too Eurocentric - but most agreed that his speech provided much food for thought.

The other guest speakers were William Buckley, editor of the "National Review" and former poet laureate Rita Dove. Buckley spoke about the need for an educated citizenry as a basis for democracy to work. Rita Dove was a huge hit with the participants, giving an intimate account of the genesis of the collection of poems "Thomas and Beulah," based loosely on her family history, for which she won the Pulitzer prize.

After the opening plenary, Reverend Moon hosted a small luncheon for a few representative participants, including Dr. Johnson. During the luncheon, Reverend Moon discussed with Dr. Johnson, who is a Roman Catholic, some traditional Christian beliefs particularly whether Jesus should have married. Dr. Johnson was very forthright in explaining his beliefs and after a while Reverend Moon remarked that Dr. Johnson was an international celebrity and that he was probably never challenged on his views in most places he spoke but that Reverend Moon was really challenging him. "Yes he is," responded Dr. Johnson dryly. Then Reverend Moon told him not to take it amiss, that he was doing it because he liked him.

Dr. Johnson was not the only one challenged by Reverend Moon. Several participants, especially those of strong Christian faith, found the account of Jesus family situation radically new. One lady said she went to her room after the speech, took out her rosary and prayed. She then went out and found a Catholic church and attended Mass. What was interesting and different was that such participants did not simply become negative and run away as they might have done in the past but stayed and wrestled with what they had heard.

The lady mentioned above listened to all the True Character and Family Life Education presentations and ended up saying that the material on the True Resolution of Conflict should be heard by everybody in the world. A Russian participant, a famous actor, theater director and film producer, was very shocked at first by Reverend Moon's opening speech, considering him a dangerous man. But he thought through his emotions and at the end was excited at the possibilities of a film based on Reverend Moon's account of Jesus family.

The True Character and Family Life series, while not attended by all participants, were well received. For many participants they were a bridge to help them understand the ideas in Reverend Moon's speech. A dozen participants made very specific requests to the speakers that the material be brought to their country. One of our concerns in organizing the conference was linking this material with the purely literary part of the conference. We wanted to show that writers have a moral responsibility to help shape the future world culture. But would they see it that way or think we were simply preaching religion to them?

One participant from Egypt remarked that this had been a concern of his but he found that we were not preaching he dictates of one religion but rather presenting the moral foundations of culture. Through that he realized that morality and literature were one and understood what had at first puzzled him, the connection between future global culture and the ideal of true families.

About thirty participants from the Asian literary conference also attended this conference and they joined together with the western participants to establish a new organization, the Literary Federation for World Peace, to continue the work of the conferences. A board of directors and an international advisory board was established. The Federation will work to harmonize different cultures through literature and to encourage writing that can move the imagination and hearts of people in all societies towards a global culture based on true values.