By Na Keum Dong (Kady)
a Korean believer at NSU
The woman is going her dormitory powerfully and laboriously with a big load: textbook, laptop, and diary which is filled with compact writing that lays out a full schedule that makes feel alive, and her face is brilliant with a smile and confidence from deep in her heart. She looks so steady and durable, maybe the reason is that she has not only annual rings of summer but also winter ones, too, which have made her stronger than ever because they are the traces of her hard seasons and long winters that were so harsh and gruesome.
YOUTH AND HAPPINESS
On a vast, open cabbage farm, in the mountains, there is one house in which five family members have been living, including the girl. It is looks a cozy hut enclosed by mountains which seem like mother’s plump breast to protect newborn baby. The girl had brilliant black hair, two dark eyes, and she was healthy. Her parents were good people and had warm hearts. They loved inviting others to share life and feeling. She never felt lonely because her family was really harmonious and loved each other before she began her long journey with solitude. Later, she realized that to be good lumber, each tree should have both annual rings: summer one, and winter one. Obviously, the best lumber doesn’t grow overnight.
In one elementary school, she was so clever. Not only teachers loved her, but also she had many friends. After school, she was playing with friends doing active games like hide-and-seek; she loved outdoor activities. Her father and mother loved her skin tanned leathery in the sun. They loved everything about her: bravery, smartness, kindness, winsomeness. In the summer, her house was a fantastic and fabulous place to ride in a sleigh with her brother and sister. The girl’s father was so healthy and generous and he had a well tanned skin like her, too. He was always good friend to her and her siblings. After playing, her truly womanly mother was preparing awesome food for them. There was no family happier than the girl’s.
On a vast, open cabbage farm, in the mountains, there is one house in which five family members have been living, including the girl. It is looks a cozy hut enclosed by mountains which seem like mother’s plump breast to protect newborn baby. The girl had brilliant black hair, two dark eyes, and she was healthy. Her parents were good people and had warm hearts. They loved inviting others to share life and feeling. She never felt lonely because her family was really harmonious and loved each other before she began her long journey with solitude. Later, she realized that to be good lumber, each tree should have both annual rings: summer one, and winter one. Obviously, the best lumber doesn’t grow overnight.
In one elementary school, she was so clever. Not only teachers loved her, but also she had many friends. After school, she was playing with friends doing active games like hide-and-seek; she loved outdoor activities. Her father and mother loved her skin tanned leathery in the sun. They loved everything about her: bravery, smartness, kindness, winsomeness. In the summer, her house was a fantastic and fabulous place to ride in a sleigh with her brother and sister. The girl’s father was so healthy and generous and he had a well tanned skin like her, too. He was always good friend to her and her siblings. After playing, her truly womanly mother was preparing awesome food for them. There was no family happier than the girl’s.
A HARSH MOVE
When she was twelve, her parents didn’t want their children to stay in a rural area. Because there was no appropriate school, it was hard decision but they transferred them to an other more developed area. It had good schools so that they the children could see bigger and better things. The girl was excited to experience a new world. At the same time, she felt uncomfortable and was afraid of unexpected circumstances since she and her siblings were only around twelve-year-old. Indeed, they were too young to handle burdensome circumstances.
She loved her new house, which was big and charming enough, because the house was covered with a vivid red color which was her favorite. However, soon she didn’t love the house anymore because there were not any parents. Instead of parents and warm air, boring grandmother, grandfather, and cold wind was there. Absence of parents at too early an age was very deadly to the poor children.
One day, an event happened in her new elementary school. The girl was always the best student in school. The teachers loved her because she took prizes in and out of school. Before long, friends who got to know each other well in small size town for a long time started to hate the new and uninvited guest because of jealousy. When she brought an assignment to school, after she come to her desk, her copy was torn. They kept glaring at the poor girl as if that was funny. After school, she couldn’t focus on anything. She felt abandoned from the world, friends, and everything. Only the big new empty house kept looking at her with silence. The small wood was in the harsh rain and hailstorm with a small and feeble body standing everything all alo
When she was twelve, her parents didn’t want their children to stay in a rural area. Because there was no appropriate school, it was hard decision but they transferred them to an other more developed area. It had good schools so that they the children could see bigger and better things. The girl was excited to experience a new world. At the same time, she felt uncomfortable and was afraid of unexpected circumstances since she and her siblings were only around twelve-year-old. Indeed, they were too young to handle burdensome circumstances.
She loved her new house, which was big and charming enough, because the house was covered with a vivid red color which was her favorite. However, soon she didn’t love the house anymore because there were not any parents. Instead of parents and warm air, boring grandmother, grandfather, and cold wind was there. Absence of parents at too early an age was very deadly to the poor children.
One day, an event happened in her new elementary school. The girl was always the best student in school. The teachers loved her because she took prizes in and out of school. Before long, friends who got to know each other well in small size town for a long time started to hate the new and uninvited guest because of jealousy. When she brought an assignment to school, after she come to her desk, her copy was torn. They kept glaring at the poor girl as if that was funny. After school, she couldn’t focus on anything. She felt abandoned from the world, friends, and everything. Only the big new empty house kept looking at her with silence. The small wood was in the harsh rain and hailstorm with a small and feeble body standing everything all alo
LONELINESS AND REBELLION
Her Parents were working in a totally different area that made it hard to meet. As time went by, in her mind, love toward her parents was changing into love and hatred. Circumstances lead her to be negative and depressed, she was too young to handle her mind and feeling and she indeed needed shelter and shield.
In one high school, she was wearing a blue school uniform, and she was not a girl with winsomeness anymore to her parents. Instead, her face was solid with no laugh, like a dark cloud. After twelve-year-old, she was getting more and more independent, with a shortage of love, so she became disobedient, going through the age of puberty. She didn’t obey her parent’s order intentionally. When parents who occasionally dropped by house nagged, she mouthed back always. When they saw her wrong behavior, her parents started to whip, but she didn’t answer with her lips firmly closed and with her tears kept in her eyes. When she watched her parents’ leave, she was crying in her room alone, but she wouldn’t express her feeling anymore to her parents. Her mind seemed already frozen.
Indeed, there was a too deep of a river which couldn’t go over among parents and her because time passed too much. Even while she was living independently, she was suffering from insomnia, there was nobody who could understand her feeling of loss, even her parents. Actually, she told them like this, “I NEED YOUR LOVE!! I AM STARVING TO DEATH FROM LACK OF LOVE.” However, they didn’t have much time to catch her feeling because they weren’t able to support three children. After finishing school, there was no one who could listen carefully to her feeling. In the hailstorm and rain&storm, there was a deep, dark, solid annual ring. That was really horrible winter to small wood.
Her Parents were working in a totally different area that made it hard to meet. As time went by, in her mind, love toward her parents was changing into love and hatred. Circumstances lead her to be negative and depressed, she was too young to handle her mind and feeling and she indeed needed shelter and shield.
In one high school, she was wearing a blue school uniform, and she was not a girl with winsomeness anymore to her parents. Instead, her face was solid with no laugh, like a dark cloud. After twelve-year-old, she was getting more and more independent, with a shortage of love, so she became disobedient, going through the age of puberty. She didn’t obey her parent’s order intentionally. When parents who occasionally dropped by house nagged, she mouthed back always. When they saw her wrong behavior, her parents started to whip, but she didn’t answer with her lips firmly closed and with her tears kept in her eyes. When she watched her parents’ leave, she was crying in her room alone, but she wouldn’t express her feeling anymore to her parents. Her mind seemed already frozen.
Indeed, there was a too deep of a river which couldn’t go over among parents and her because time passed too much. Even while she was living independently, she was suffering from insomnia, there was nobody who could understand her feeling of loss, even her parents. Actually, she told them like this, “I NEED YOUR LOVE!! I AM STARVING TO DEATH FROM LACK OF LOVE.” However, they didn’t have much time to catch her feeling because they weren’t able to support three children. After finishing school, there was no one who could listen carefully to her feeling. In the hailstorm and rain&storm, there was a deep, dark, solid annual ring. That was really horrible winter to small wood.
A FRIEND WITH GOOD NEWS
Meanwhile she had met one friend who was coming to her. She never had religion. The friend was tall and beautiful, always with many people following her. She became her good friend. As the girl knew her, she could know God too, because her friend was devoted to God. The lonely cloud was starting to leave because of her truly good friend. Her beautiful friend told her “If you are lonely, with closed eye, just call ‘God’, and tell your hope to him. He is always with you.” It was awkward, but she started to pray to God. Although she didn’t be sure to whether God really exists or not, but she needed help to save her. She needed love to fulfill her emptiness in mind. At first, to her, Jesus Christ was just name of the bible that seemed to be fake to her. The bible said there is no other name that we are saved except Jesus Christ. Sometimes, she read bible, especially she loved psalms 13:1-2 “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” When she was suffering from insomnia, it gave her strength and hope, and then she often sobbed herself to sleep.
When she entered University, she met a church which was totally different compared with others. One day, she entered a church that was small and cozy, there was one Evangelist whose smile seemed like sunshine that made her relax. He prayed for her, holding her hands. There was nothing without calm sound of coming spring toward small wood.
Meanwhile she had met one friend who was coming to her. She never had religion. The friend was tall and beautiful, always with many people following her. She became her good friend. As the girl knew her, she could know God too, because her friend was devoted to God. The lonely cloud was starting to leave because of her truly good friend. Her beautiful friend told her “If you are lonely, with closed eye, just call ‘God’, and tell your hope to him. He is always with you.” It was awkward, but she started to pray to God. Although she didn’t be sure to whether God really exists or not, but she needed help to save her. She needed love to fulfill her emptiness in mind. At first, to her, Jesus Christ was just name of the bible that seemed to be fake to her. The bible said there is no other name that we are saved except Jesus Christ. Sometimes, she read bible, especially she loved psalms 13:1-2 “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” When she was suffering from insomnia, it gave her strength and hope, and then she often sobbed herself to sleep.
When she entered University, she met a church which was totally different compared with others. One day, she entered a church that was small and cozy, there was one Evangelist whose smile seemed like sunshine that made her relax. He prayed for her, holding her hands. There was nothing without calm sound of coming spring toward small wood.
WARMING TO JESUS
In that church, all people seemed that they really were believing God and Jesus Christ exist. They were really warm to accept her everything. Her mind and spirit which were frozen were getting warm. The love she felt in church and from faith was bigger than any other love in the world, even that was above love of parents’. She was really wanting while she was alone. Finally, She got real love that she was really eager to seek! She is getting brighter like her real nature from God. Laugh and passion which was lost was flowing through her body and heart again. By grasping Jesus Christ’s hand, she took back her smile like an awesome flower.
In that church, all people seemed that they really were believing God and Jesus Christ exist. They were really warm to accept her everything. Her mind and spirit which were frozen were getting warm. The love she felt in church and from faith was bigger than any other love in the world, even that was above love of parents’. She was really wanting while she was alone. Finally, She got real love that she was really eager to seek! She is getting brighter like her real nature from God. Laugh and passion which was lost was flowing through her body and heart again. By grasping Jesus Christ’s hand, she took back her smile like an awesome flower.
REUNION
Now she not only got an annual ring of summer, but she became strong lumber. Amazingly, after she started to attend a church and prayed to God, her family started to attend church too, about 2 years later. Now, they are attending church together, also talking often, forgiving each other, and understanding each other too. Now, she confirms that there is no other name that people are saved except Jesus Christ, as someone told her formerly. Now, her step is really nimble and powerful. She isn’t sad anymore, because now she has taken her everything more than she expected: a strong bond with family that at once had difficulty with communication, a stability of mind from love of God, and furthermore, annual rings of summer too. Finally, she became healthy and durable lumber! Yes, Indeed.
Now she not only got an annual ring of summer, but she became strong lumber. Amazingly, after she started to attend a church and prayed to God, her family started to attend church too, about 2 years later. Now, they are attending church together, also talking often, forgiving each other, and understanding each other too. Now, she confirms that there is no other name that people are saved except Jesus Christ, as someone told her formerly. Now, her step is really nimble and powerful. She isn’t sad anymore, because now she has taken her everything more than she expected: a strong bond with family that at once had difficulty with communication, a stability of mind from love of God, and furthermore, annual rings of summer too. Finally, she became healthy and durable lumber! Yes, Indeed.
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