Testimonials
Dear Grand Master Yun,
This letter is a note of thanks.....a long overdue "Thank You", mind you.
Our family has been part of your Taekwondo family for nearly four years. Our journey began with Meggie as a fifth grader in a new school. Her uncle Bill, one of your first Black Belt students, invited her to try this oft-misunderstood sport. (It is, after all, not the usual stick-and-ball activity we tend to favor in this country!)
Bill, as you know, battles Parkinson's Disease. He broke his brick at his Black Belt testing with you nine years ago, within days of learning of his diagnosis at age 51. He credits his strength of body, mind and spirit with all he learned along his Taekwondo journey. Above all, he believes in the tenet of Indomitable Spirit. As the loving Godfather to Meggie, he wanted to see if Taekwondo could help her as it helped him - believing that younger is better for building a foundation of confidence and inner serenity for life. Quite a lofty goal, we thought - at first.
And so Meggie wore her white belt with trepidation, insecurity and a degree of skepticism. This was new. This was different. This meant wearing what she thought looked like pajamas for a uniform!
She journeyed through the first levels with success - eager for the boost she received from each stripe earned, a kind word of encouragement from the instructors, the thrill of breaking a board at testings - though all the while I wondered if her enthusiasm would continue.
And it did wane at times during those tough middle school years as things often do with adolescent kids in general. But curiously, her father and I discovered she seemed to weather the pitfalls of this time with more grace and confidence than many of her peers who looked to misguided ways of bolstering their self-images. Clearly her academic success could be tied to the focus and concentration required of Taekwondo students.
Mmmmm. How interesting, we thought. Bill simply knew the truth! And so here we are. Our other three daughters have since joined your family, too! Katie is proud of her Red Belt and wants to try out for Demo Team. Amanda wants to be a Brown Belt to join Kick Team. And Little Rachel is one of the best-behaved first graders as a Green Belt. They all love you and the instructors dearly.
Now - four years later - Meggie is preparing to test for her permanent Black Belt. She lives and breathes Taekwondo. We couldn't be more proud - or more thankful - to Bill, to you, and to all the instructors for your collective strength of character and encouragement.
And here I am - the mom who always watched from the sidelines with her muscles and fists clenched, analyzing every form and breaking technique and thinking, "Gee, I would love to do this!"
I do. I really, really do. It's not so much what I can do physically as much as how I think I can.....how I believe I can.
Pillsan, Sir.
And Thank You.
Sincerely,
Gene Rosenwald