THE LONGING HEART OF MOTHERS TO BRING PEACE
Keynote Speaker Mary Jane Anderson
On September 26, the Minnesota Chapter of WFWP brought together a group of men and women to explore the topic, “The Longing Heart of Mothers to Bring Peace.” To begin, the organization of WFWP was introduced, the mission and goals, especially pointing out that women are not here to compete with men, but to complete them. For WFWP to succeed, women need the support of their husbands, sons, and men in the community to bring true and lasting peace.
The main speaker, Mrs. Mary Jane Anderson, a loving mother of four children, a nurse, a devoted wife, and a respected longtime member of WFWP, gave a remarkable talk about the different but essential roles of both women and men in raising children. She stated, “Women let the bread rise, while men will go buy a loaf of bread, make a sandwich, and eat it.” How you raise your children is what you know and she recommends not being a “helicopter mom” which she defines as hovering over your child or children too closely. She has found that that is the best way is to show your children that you trust them; and, in turn, your children will respect you as a parent more because of it.
Mrs. Denise To, Co-Chair of the Minnesota Chapter of WFWP
Mrs. Anderson also showed a current movie trailer about a young woman name Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl, that was shot at the age of 14 by a Taliban gunman in 2012. Despite what happened to her, she continues to speak out on the importance of global education especially for girls. She is also the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize of 2014. Malala says “women bring so much value to the world.”
The second speaker, Mrs. Denise To, co-chair of the Minnesota Chapter of WFWP, talked about how much women are already influencing the world and making changes in the world. Many from around the world are demonstrating the power of women. These days, women, from a wide range of cultural and educational backgrounds hold top-notch political, religious, and professional positions in society. The 2015 Forbes list of the top 100 most powerful women named the world’s most influential woman as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Group Photo
Following the presentations, discussion groups were held about some aspects in our society that threaten the development of lasting peace in the family and ultimately in the world. Some people expressed that problems of lack of self-esteem, self-worth, and respect have the biggest impact on lasting peace. Some believe that improvement in the government and media would help create peace in the family. Finally, the root cause of disharmony in the world was discussed as stemming from disharmony in husband and wife relationships.
We know for sure that the role of women is changing. The power of women is growing as shown in the growing number of women making an impact in their respective fields. Women offer a voice in their fields and inspiration to anyone wanting to make a difference in their life and in their communities.