Dear Brothers and Sisters,
These are the good tidings.
When Father blessed (at that time Ye Jin nim represented True Mother) us he mentioned of some possible upcoming challenges. We all of course were extremely idealistic, Reinhard and myself having just managed to come from West-Berlin where we both were center members, through East Germany and passed the Communist guards on the borders. We sisters had to partially sew our own wedding gowns in Camberg, Germany, and then we were off with the
train and boat to Lancaster Gate in London where Father had already started matching when our little group arrived on May 18th, 1978, directly from the bus.
Now looking at Europe thirty years later that continent does look so much more united and civilized; granted, problems still exist. The Berlin Wall fell already some twenty years ago; Soviet Union and with it much of Communism collapsed, and European Union has spread to most of Western and Eastern European countries, Finland and Austria both becoming members in1996.
In Finland, much of the shadow of the Russian bear has lifted, and there is a cultural boom in Finland and across the Baltic, including in my tiny ancestral hometown of Naantali where since twenty some years an international Music Festival is hosted in the medieval churches (nowLutheran, formerly Catholic) of the area, mostly in the Naantali Abby of ofthe former convent.
Muuminland, a children's adventure park is full of hundreds of thousand (literally) of Finnish and Swedish children (Finnish cartoon charcters - the Japanese have made animations of these character; thus, you see thousands of Japanese tourists there). I invite you to join me in the Old Town tours and visit the galleries, shops, and cafes and restaurants on the shores of the green Baltic waters by the Old Harbor Marina.
There is an ancient spa tradition in Naantali, already began by the Brigittine nuns hundreds of years ago, and now a modern spa brings people from around the world there year round. The Finnish President (now Ms. Tarja Halonen) traditionally stays in the summer residence across the bay, and the summer flower gardens among fountains and walking paths are open to the public. Come and join me on these forty thousand Baltic islands on the Southwestern coast of Finland in July and August!
My parents were married almost 60 years; my brothers and sisters are following suit. Many cousins and second cousins have been wonderful in their support as were my parents and brothers and sisters from Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
God Bless You All,
Kaarina Jager