Reflection on Mother Moon’s Memoir
As a young woman who has been inspired by the work of WFWP and involved with the organization for years, I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of the memoir of WFWP Founder Mother Moon. While I initially began reading it on my own, when WFWP Richmond Representative Ayano Adrien proposed a book club and invited me to be a part of it, I liked the idea of reading and sharing our thoughts on the book together. We met every Sunday afternoon over the course of several months, reading through the memoir carefully and reflecting on the words. As a group of women from various backgrounds and age brackets, every participant offered unique contributions based on their own life experiences and how they could relate to Mother Moon's story.
What I personally took away from her memoir was a beautiful message of hope, one that is sorely needed at such a time and should be shared with the world! Mother Moon spoke about how she overcame tremendous challenges from an early age, having to deal with her father leaving the family when she was quite young, and then taking a treacherous journey with her mother and grandmother to escape North Korea during the war. She witnessed terrible things that would make anyone lose faith in humanity, but instead she clung to God as her Heavenly Parent and determined to restore this world to the ideal that it was originally meant to be.
One passage that truly encapsulates her spirit of perseverance and hope for a brighter future is a section called "Daffodils", found in the fourth chapter: "Daffodils are the harbingers of spring. As the first flowers to pierce through the frozen ground after withstanding the cold of winter, they herald the coming of warmth and new life. I am always amazed at this providence displayed by Mother Nature and by the strength of the sprouts that appear where snow still remains. Roses and lilies that bloom in spring or midsummer are beautiful, but I most appreciate the little daffodil, whose humble, unassuming bloom breaks the spell of the cold winter. Called to be the only begotten Daughter* and True Mother, my path is to break through the icy grip of human sin and help bring God's blessing to the world. I often identify with this lovely flower" (pages 131-132 in the first printed edition).
I find this passage especially meaningful now as we enter the spring season, both literally and figuratively, following a long cold winter of the Covid pandemic over the past year, and see hope for new life on the horizon. Like a beautiful daffodil, Mother Moon carries the air of spring and life with her and will lead us to "forget that there ever was a winter" (page 137).
You can learn more about this book at motherofpeacebook.com.
* Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon views this expression not as a title but it rather describes the responsibility and goal she has taken upon herself to uplift and give hope to all 7.8 billion people of the world.