My gratitude for Christian Science is indeed boundless, as it has become to me even the hope, the joy, and the purpose of living. My life had grown dark in prospect while I was yet a child, as it was thought I had inherited a weak constitution. I had no power of endurance and suffered continually from chronic stomach disorder. I was constantly on a diet, took medicine regularly, was taken much care of, and was not allowed to do so many of the things others did for fear they would make me sick. Of course this state of things was conducive to selfishness, and I had a hot temper, also supposed to be inherited. This, added to my general fear of life, made me unhappy and often morbid.
At last I gave up and was getting bitter, when my mother, who had already helped me a great deal with a better idea of religion than the church gave, said she believed there was a higher hope than medicine, and asked if I had ever heard of Christian Science. She had been told that Christian Scientists believed God would heal, which sounded so reasonable to us both that we were immediately eager to find out. This hope gave me strength to get out of bed, and we went twenty-five miles to a Scientist we knew of. She talked with us, and we went home happy and hopeful, already cured of much fear.
As we were living farther in the South at this time, and where there were very few Scientists, our friend advised me to go to Chicago for treatment; and I did so. I stayed away two months, and when I went home strong, cured of the stomach disorder and the nervousness,—sweeter and more lovable and with no more fear of the future,—the family rejoiced. Now my whole family are students of Christian Science, and each day we realize anew what a blessing has come to us.
