Last semester I read a book written by Joan Lee. Closing the book, I had a belief about how to live my life. It's brought a powerful sensation into my heart. Joan Lee is a writer who has published three books. But her career has been working as an international service agency president, not as a writer. These are the titles of her books: Love at 23 Success at 49, Tomorrow Should Be Different from Today, and Love and Success Cannot Wait. It's all nonfiction about her love and success story.
        She married a 49-year-old priest when she was 23. It is usually impossible. They met at Seo Kang University. At that time, Joan was good at English, and the dean asked her to translate his column into Korean. They always met an hour before the first class started every day in the morning. In no time, they fell in love with each other. How could a college dean or priest marry a senior university student? Everyone who was associated with the Catholic religion and the university, as well as friends, were opposed to their marriage, or even their meeting. The church treated him as an insane man and forced him to leave Korea. But nobody could stop their love. In spite of the adversity and controversy, they were married. Joan Lee's husband was 26 years older than she was. I think that they were really brave and honest. They were just following the sound of their hearts and faith. How difficult it must be to keep one's conviction like that under those circumstances.
        "There is another horizon in our lives." These were the words of Joan Lee's husband, Gil Ro-Yeon. This saying brings a new hope to me as it did to Joan Lee. It means everyone has several opportunities in life. His American name was Kenneth Edward Kiloren, but he changed his name to the Korean name, Gil Ro-Yeon, which means "to be connected to a lucky way." Dr. Lee who taught him Korean made that name. When he came to Korea in 1955, with directions of university foundation and  missionary work, the country was in ruins from the Korean War.
        At present, Joan Lee is a widow. She was 49 when her husband died. But she was able to handle international affairs very successfully. She informed the world's people about the Seoul Olympics through international lobbying, helped a Korean factory enter into Northern Ireland, and went all over the world to sell fighter planes. She thought it was time to leave when her own roles and affairs were getting easy in business or a job. She did her best at her work and became a capable career woman.
        I had a failed love experience with a man 12 years older than me. I thought that it would be shameful if I went with or married him. I was aware of those around me, so I did not realize my love. Then I wasn't brave, and I regretted it afterwards. Joan taught me how important it is to be brave in life. I lost something very precious from my heart at that time before I read Joan Lee's book. I lost something...but I don't know what it was.... Maybe it was living, loving and saying positively "yes" to everything as I kept my faith.