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Show in my father's house/ 271 taking turns at each of the mothers' homes, he often made such failure the subject of discussion. Although he never named my brothers, I was sure that everyone in the room knew of whom he spoke. "Some of my dear ones have left the path of light and truth," he said one evening as we met in Aunt Sarah's new livingroom. "They refuse to be kind and helpful, they are indifferent to my counsel, they listen only to the desires^of their hearts." He cast his e^es over the room. "All too often, they are sustained by their mothers in their rebelliousness. We should be setting better examples for our children." The mothers did not look up from their knitting or embroidering or note-taking. Which of them was he talking to? I wondered. Certainly not my mother. Complaining about her side of the duplex was the closest she had come to rebellion. Generally, she was incapable of even defending herself. "We should be living the United Order as the Lord commanded," my father continued. "If we fail in this and satisfy only ourselves, He will hold us accountable for the suffering of others. The Principle and the United Order were meant to be lived hand-in- hand. One can't succeed without the other. The United Order is the only way we can receive the Lord's blessing." His voice shook as he spoke. The great strain behind his words softened my feelings toward him for a moment. I could only guess at the problem from what I overheard when he or Aunt Helga talked with ray mother. Sometimes, he reported, Aunt Rachells family barely survived. The nine of them had lived on a large sack of carrots for a two-week period until |
