Articles

WALKING THROUGH A PARK one morning, I noticed a young mother and her toddler son making their way to the other side of a large soccer field. The mom kept up a casual but steady pace, pushing an empty stroller.

LIVING AS AN AMERICAN EXPATRIATE IN ASIA for more than 16 years has taught me the invaluable lesson of being willing to let God, divine Principle, unfold His will in any situation. I began learning this lesson shortly after my husband and I moved to Japan, and I was expecting our first child.

I WAS BARELY OUT OF MY TEENS when I left my parents' home in Mumbai (then Bombay), India, to study in London. After returning to Bombay, I started my own business and was making a good living shortly after my return.

WHEN WE TOLD OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS that we were going to live in Beijing for a year, we heard a wide range of reactions, everything from What an adventure! to Aren't you worried, even scared? For years we had planned to move from our home in New York City to the People's Republic of China because we wanted our twin daughters, Grace and Claire, to find out about their native culture. And we wanted the whole family, including our youngest daughter, Julia, to experience firsthand life in China, even though through Western eyes.

WITH A DEEP-THROATED RUMBLE, THE GEYSER ERUPTED. It had started to rain, and most of the crowd had already wandered away.

WHO HASN'T YEARNED to feel more of God's presence—to have divine Spirit feel more tangible, immediate, and real? Of course, we realize this may involve more study, more quiet listening to God, more praying than we are doing now. In fact, we look forward to having the chance to do just that.

IT IS EASY TO SAY THAT GOD IS GOOD. But it takes more than saying it to understand God's goodness.

ALTHOUGH STATISTICS VARY, most studies agree that somewhere between 12 and 15 percent of the people on this planet say they don't believe in God or at least doubt the existence of a Supreme Being who has anything to do with their everyday affairs. Many who make up the other 85-88 percent may have a firm belief that God exists, but they don't necessarily know why.

WHAT GREAT FUN TO REMEMBER ADVENTURES AND ACTIVITIES from childhood. Like riding a bike, careening wildly down a hill on a toboggan, or just running with a dog or chasing butterflies.

WITH SPRING COMES THE PROMISE OF RENEWAL —the possibility of new beginnings, transformation. The prophet Isaiah spoke to the spirit of this season in this passage in the Bible: "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" ( Isa.