First of all I am grateful to kind friends who were an influence for good in my life even before I knew about Christian Science. I am grateful to remember that my mother loved the Bible and went to it for help, and for her endeavor to teach her children to appreciate the Bible and to pray. I can remember very well hearing her say to us, "If you will only read your Bible, I am sure it will help you." Perhaps I had too much respect and love for my mother openly to ridicule, but I was not impressed with the idea that the Bible could be of any particular help. At least I did not think that I was impressed; but now I think that my mother's teaching had more effect on me than I realized. I do not remember that I ever read the Scriptures with the idea of receiving any help from so doing until I knew something about Christian Science; then the Bible meant so much more to me.
After my mother passed on, my affairs got into such a muddle and I became so desperately unhappy and discontented with circumstances which seemed to surround me that one day while walking along the street I decided to pray about it. At that time I felt as if I must be on my knees to pray, so I hurried home and to my room intending to pray. I began several times, but each time I stopped, as the request I would make seemed very selfish and I believed that "God is no respecter of persons." For a moment it seemed almost as if I should not be able to pray about my problem, and then I thought that even though I could not see a way out, yet there must be a way and God knew it; so I prayed, "Show me a way which is good for all of us."
I know that my prayer was answered, for within a very short time I was called to make a trip to a western city where resided my sister, who had already become interested in Christian Science. Of course I did not at that time recognize this as an answer to my prayer; in fact, I do not know that I thought of my petition again until about two years later, when one evening at church someone mentioned having been led to Christian Science through prayer. I then remembered my own prayer and knew that God had answered it by guiding me into Christian Science, where we can find a solution to any problem.
