As you all know, the United States Congress inaugurated the fourth Sunday of every July as "Parents Day." Like many members I prayed deeply so I could find a good way to initiate Parents Day in the minds and hearts of people in my hometown.

Father has shown us that we are to morally influence public officials in our hometown. While praying and asking God how I, a simple member, can contribute to this important day, God inspired me to contact my local congressman, Rep. Richard Pombo, and ask him to issue a proclamation honoring Barbara and Philip Wallace (the Republican party chairman for ten years). Just a few days before July 28, Cong. Pombo's secretary called me and said they are going to send a certificate to the Wallaces! Needless to say, my wife and I were ecstatic and jumping with joy, which means God is also joyful with this great news!

After we learned of the honor being bestowed on the Wallaces I prayed again and asked God how we can properly inform local officials in my hometown so a tradition can be established. Therefore, I sent a letter to Stockton's Mayor Joan Darrah and informed her of the Parents Day proclamation being given to the Wallaces. The next day her assistant called me and asked how Cong. Pombo decided to send this certificate. Did the Wallaces ask directly for themselves? I told her it was my idea and that I suggested it to Cong. Pombo in two letters. On the following day the mayor's office called to let me know that they also decided to honor the Wallaces and present a certificate to them as well. Not only that-they also wanted to give them the honor at the city council meeting, which is a public meeting!

Can anyone imagine how Philip and Barbara Wallace must have felt when they received these wonderful honors, especially since they had no idea their name had been submitted for consideration. The way they learned of my involvement was when I asked them for copies of their certificates. Barbara was curious how I knew and why I wanted copies, so I told her I requested Cong. Pombo's and the mayor's offices to send the proclamations. Furthermore, I told Barbara that it was Rev. Moon who supported the establishment of Parents Day and that I'm simply following his teaching of True Love as my motivation to initiate these events. The Wallaces were deeply impressed. They now have a better opinion of Rev. Moon and what he has done for America.

Now that a tradition has been established on the foundation of obtaining recognition for the Wallaces, I can now find another wonderful couple living exemplary lives and ask Cong. Pombo and the mayor of Stockton to recognize them next year.

It is my hope that anyone reading this story can realize that you can do the same thing! You can write to your congressman and local government officials and ask them to recognize a special couple in your hometown. You do not need any special position; just understand that we are God's true children and we must save this ailing world. We have the true standard set by True Parents. All we have to do is reach out from the motivation of True Love. Whether a person is a high public official or not does not matter. They are still God's lost children, parents and our brothers and sisters. We can represent True Parents. We are the first blessed couples. We have been personally trained by True Parents. So who is better qualified to set a standard concerning the recognition of Parents Day each year? Who is better qualified to demonstrate the heart of Rev. Moon? How can the people of this world recognize that Father is the Messiah, Lord of the Second Advent, if we are not on the front line living as Father lives for the sake of other people?

What better way is there of helping the Wallace family than simply demonstrating parents' love or God's True Love? From this time on, whenever I meet my good friends, the Wallace family, I can always say that it is Rev. Moon's life-course that inspires me to act the way I have. That it is my innermost hope that they can more deeply understand that they too must become True Parents to their own children. They need to learn that Heaven can only be occupied by couples who live up to God's standard of True Love and that we all have the capacity to become those True Parents just as Rev. and Mrs. Moon have done as the first True Parents.

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