The Words of the McCann Family
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The Words of the McCann Family |
Marjorie Hill
On April 12 and 13, 2008, we invited Marjorie Hill to Ireland to give a workshop for our blessed couples. Marjorie is a very experienced counselor as well as the FFWPUI regional leader for Scandinavia.
This workshop was entitled "Happiness through Harmony".
Marjorie first helped us all to get a clear perspective about ourselves with regard to the exciting time we are living in right now in God's Providence. She was also referring to a recent speech by Rev. Kwak. This is the time of Cheon Il Guk, the time of Settlement for God, where God wants to settle in our hearts and families. Father said, now is the time of healing, restoration and family!
Therefore, our main work right now is individual growth in order to build the Kingdom of Heaven. We need to go back to the original point of perfecting our character, for it is only people who have found peace and harmony within themselves that can enter CIG. Therefore, the problem of building the Kingdom of Heaven is always coming back to myself!
But she reminded us, not to forget that the goal is joy! Just like when our children are happy and playing in harmony, we as parents feel the greatest joy -- so does God!
Our goal is to create joyful harmony within ourselves and our couple/family.
Marjorie pointed out that when we received the Blessing by True Parents, this was done conditionally without having perfected ourselves beforehand. So, now, even though we already have spouses and children, we still need to 'catch up' and restore the 1st Blessing -- the perfection of our individual character.
Based on this context, we learned about many different aspects of spiritual growth -- we learned to look at all the different energies within ourselves that God has made us with, and how important it is to create balance among them. Only when all the Yin and Yang energies are in balance, only then can we live a life of 'no shadows' -- 90 degrees centered on God.
We learned about the development of our mind and how it functions;
Another main focus was the dynamic within the husband/wife relationship. Marjorie introduced different books and we could come to understand how husband and wife trigger each other's fears and emotional childhood wounds. Because of that, it is through this particular dynamic in the marital relationship that we experience the most emotional intensity but also the most growth if we can understand what is happening and why.
With this in mind, she also explained the steps to genuine spiritual growth.
In-between, there were plenty of practical exercises, so the material became very real to us, at the same time it helped to bring our community closer together, by opening our hearts and sharing more about each other.
After the workshop, Marjorie met personally with every participant to give them guidance for their individual course. Overall, this workshop was extremely eye-opening and inspiring for all of us. We could gain new insight and hope for our own growth and for developing the relationship with our spouses and children, as well as understanding more clearly our roles and responsibilities at this time.
I can only say, it was invaluable and I feel it was a milestone for our community here in Ireland!
Doris McCann
(BFD Representative in Ireland)