About twenty five years ago, for apparently no reason at all, a great sense of loneliness came over me. Everything was just as it had been for many years; I had the same friends and the same work, and yet I was unable to rise above the thought of being alone. I was traveling at the time, and occasionally I would read one of the Bibles which are left in hotel rooms by the Gideon Society. This did not satisfy me, however, and I decided that the loneliness was caused by a belief of separation from God and the longing for spiritual good.
I knew very little about Christian Science or its followers, but I did know that they read the Bible and study something each day which they call "the Lesson." I know now that it was God's direction, for I did not talk about it, but found a Christian Science Reading Room where I purchased a copy of the textbook, Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy. I had read but a few pages when I realized that this was what I needed to satisfy my spiritual hunger. It brought to me, in our beloved Leader's words (ibid., p. 569), "a sweet and certain sense that God is Love;" and as I learned to draw near to God, I found a true sense of companionship.
Although I did not take up the study of Christian Science for a physical healing, I soon found I had a great many ailments, which I thought belonged to me and were natural or necessary for me to have. Christian Science soon awakened me to the fact of my real being; and as I studied and grew in the understanding of this great truth, these false beliefs disappeared. I was healed of severe neuralgic headaches, which would last for days, during which time I was unable to eat or sleep. Colds, abscessed ears, rheumatism, hay fever, and a deformed foot are a few of the many discordant conditions which have been healed. These healings were all brought about through the reading of the Christian Science textbook.
