The Bible has many stories about women. In these stories of women, we see a reflection of ourselves and our own reality--physical, spiritual, and social.Like these women, Hwain's mother possessed deep faith in her Lord. Korean Christian women build their lives on two foundations. The first is the hard reality of the lives of women in the Bible. The second is the long history of Korean women born into a system of Confucian belief.
Blossom of the Golden Bell is a story about Hwain's mother. The story is a mingling and converging of two realities, the hard lives of the women of the Bible and the history Korean women are born into. Hwain's mother gave Hwain life and then gave her own life to Hwain. She influenced and taught Hwain, spiritually and socially. Hwain cannot forget the stories of her mother's past, nor leave them unrecorded. Therefore, this book is Hwain's gift to her mother. Hwain's wish is for the stories contained in this book to reflect light onto other women just as it did for Hwain.
""In this beautiful and evocative memoir, Hwain Chang Lee weaves the story of her mother's love and courage together with the moving details of family life, hard choices, and enduring love. All are elegantly expressed in this quintessential story of resilience and the invincibility of faith and family.""
--Shari K. Brink, President and CEO, Blanton-Peale Institute and Counseling Center
""This book is a story of a mother's love and a daughter's love. Yet, it is a bigger story than even that, for it is a story of how love, tenderness, sacrifice, courage, and the will to triumph over adversity can determine the fate of generations to come. It is a story that humbles and inspires, while prompting deep self-reflection on our own capacity and willingness to give of ourselves for the sake of others.""
--Javier A. Viera, Dean and Professor of Pastoral Theology, Drew University Theological School
Hwain Chang Lee graduated from Ewha Women's University (BA), Princeton Theological Seminar (MDiv), Yale Divinity School (STM) and Drew University (DMin). Currently, Dr. Lee is a Research Professor of Global Leadership & Spirituality at New York Theological Seminary. Her publications include: Confucius, Christ and Co-partnership: Competing Liturgies for the Souls of Korean-American Women,The Korean-American YWCA and the Church, Why YWCA?, A Life Lead by God, and many other books.
