Fifth Realm of Heart - Rediscovering Our Calling as Grandparents

By Carol Pobanz

For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of editing the Golden Age newsletter—a space for those of us over 60 to share our stories, testimonies, and reflections. During that time, a recurring theme has emerged. Many members have expressed a quiet concern that we’re being gently set aside. Some wonder if we’ve already played our part. A few have even asked: “Is there still a place for us in the movement?”

I’ve felt this too. And yet, these very questions led me to rediscover something powerful—something that I believe offers renewed purpose and hope: the Fifth Realm of Heart.

Most of us are familiar with the Four Great Realms of Heart taught in Unification Thought:

• Children’s Love

• Siblings’ Love

• Conjugal Love

• Parental Love

These describe the natural unfolding of love within the family. But there's another realm that often goes unmentioned—Grandparents’ Love.

If you open Cheon Seong Gyeong, Book 3: True Love, Chapter 2, you'll find five sections—not four. And the very first section is about Grandparents’ Love. This surprised me at first, but the more I studied, the more I saw that this realm is not only real—it’s vital.

In Unification Thought, the grandparental role is described as most representative of God. The family four-position foundation doesn’t just include parents and children—it expands to include grandparents as well, standing in the position of God’s wisdom and enduring love.

Grandparents' love is:

• Rooted in faith, patience, and forgiveness

• A reflection of God's unconditional, all-encompassing heart

• Not just personal or familial, but universal—a love that extends to all of humanity 

True Father once said that this love allows us to view others with divine compassion—to see not just with our eyes, but with the eyes of God.

True Mother goes even further, connecting this realm to stewardship of all creation. She says it is the love of a co-creator—a person who lives for the sake of others and helps build a world of beauty and peace.

I’ve come to understand all of this more deeply through personal experience. Becoming a grandparent didn’t change the babies—they still cry, eat, poop, and laugh just like any other baby. But it changed me. Watching my own children become parents allowed me to glimpse God’s heart in a new way.

I saw how much God must long to see His children raise their own children with love and care. After all, isn’t that the goal of God’s providence? That we become True Parents—and then raise True Families?

And I’ll never forget the first time my grandchild said, “Gramma, I love you.” It was unprompted, pure, and sincere. I remember where I was standing. I remember how it felt. It was one of those sacred moments that stay with you forever. It reminded me that God, too, is waiting for His children to say, “I love You”—not out of duty, but from the depths of a grateful heart.

Sometimes we think of a “calling” as something we receive when we’re young. But I’ve come to believe that God continues to call us throughout our lives—and even into eternity.

When I was younger, I was called to follow God, to join the movement, to raise a family, to take on leadership roles. I didn’t always know what I was doing, but I answered the call. And I’ve learned that each stage of life comes with a new invitation from Heaven.

Now, I believe I’m being called again—to grow my heart as a true grandparent.

This is our next mission. It may feel unfamiliar—because we’ve never had a model for what “true grandparents” are supposed to be. But just like we’ve learned from True Parents how to be True Men, True Women, and True Couples, I believe we’re now being asked to learn—and teach—what it means to be True Grandparents.

To my fellow seniors: if you’re feeling unsure of your place, remember this—our purpose has not ended. It has deepened. We are being asked to take on a new role—not to step back, but to step forward into a realm of love the world desperately needs.

To the younger generation: we need your support and encouragement. Help us grow into who we were meant to be.

The Fifth Realm of Heart is not a retirement—it’s a calling. A calling to offer the wisdom, love, and spiritual legacy that only grandparents can give. Let’s walk this path together. Let’s rediscover our purpose. And let’s become the True Grandparents the world is waiting for.