Once I spent a week as a patient in a Christian Science nursing facility. I had been ill for a couple of days before I arrived, but the moment I sank into the neatly made bed, I felt wrapped in a deep comfort that eased mind as well as body. I could feel the healing begin.
After my first good sleep in days, I was much better the next morning. Sitting up in a chair while the Christian Science nurse made the bed, I watched her tuck and smooth the sheets with far more care than I ever devoted to bed-making at home. I told her about my experience of climbing into bed the night before and feeling suddenly at peace.
“There’s a reason for that,” she said. “When we make a bed, we make it with love. Even before we know the patient who will occupy the bed, we are preparing the place for them by cherishing their true, spiritual qualities as God’s beloved child.”
