Contributed by Limi Marie Bauer, Linda’s daughter
Born a tornado of curls and spirit, she is just too big, bright and beautiful for the mundane. As illness and heartache nearly breaks her over and over again throughout her story, she identifies with “Battle-born.” The wars of the world and the battles in her home caused her to close her heart and hide her light for a long time.
That is, until she met Father Moon. God’s light channelled through Father Moon’s infinite being opened up her heart so that she can be herself: radiant, headstrong and a force of nature that sweeps you up in God’s love.
Those of us close to her find ourselves butting heads or holding on for the ride of our lives. God has blessed her with the softest, warmest hug so that even when butting heads we know she is rooting for our best possible outcome and that of God’s Providence.
She joined the Unification Church in Washington, DC, in 1968. As part of the 1800 Couples’ Blessing, she received the Marriage Blessing in 1975 and has three daughters: Limi Marie Bauer, Maio Lily Baiocco, and Camia Rose Gavin, who have all received the Marriage Blessing themselves.
After receiving the Marriage Blessing, she visited her in-laws in Brazil. A friend nicknamed her “caracol” Portuguese for “snail” because she has her home on her back and can feel at home everywhere. A global citizen, child of God, she can feel at home anywhere in her Heavenly Parent’s house.
She publicizes the good and has a special place in her heart for underdogs and lost causes. She takes excruciating effort as she follows her intuition to be at the right place at the right time so that practical aspects of God’s Plan fall into place. While this causes misunderstandings among peers, it solidifies her connection to True Parents through this similarity.
She helped to pioneer the Unification Church communities in Baltimore, Maryland, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Bogota, Colombia.
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Her depth of faith in the Principle gives her a crystal clear understanding of the role of women in God’s Providence. It’s her wish that all women who know and love True Parents join Women’s Federation in order to facilitate that new paradigm of peace that the world so desperately needs: peace through the love of a good woman.
She’s not just tough as nails; she’s the metal willing to become a nail to get the job done.
Facing pancreatic cancer, she refuses to lose hope and wraps her family and friends tightly around her. If anyone would be interested in supporting her care during this time, you can do so at www.youcaring.com/LindaPerry.
Despite life’s circumstances, she’s forged herself into a pioneer, wife, mother, executive, grandmother, but her choice to be a Unificationist, well, that was the easy part.
Photo credit: Masao Okano, ThisWasUs.com
