In 1935, when beginning the study of Christian Science, I was a slave to the smoking, drinking, and gambling habits to an inordinate degree. Just prior to this I had made a strenuous effort to stop smoking through the use of so-called will power, but had failed miserably.
My first healing was that of an infected ear, which appeared to be serious enough to impede, if not put a stop to, my progress as a flight student. After several days of pain, resulting from the belief that change in atmospheric pressure while I was rising and descending in an airplane governed the comfort of my ear, my wife insisted that I continue medical aid, or that Christian Science help be sought. A physician had assured me that my ear was full of fungus, and that I could not expect recovery for three weeks, so I chose Christian Science help, and decided to visit the practitioner in person so that I could observe what took place. After only a few reassuring remarks concerning the ever-presence and all-powerfulness of God, good, the practitioner became silent, and closed her eyes, while I sat bewildered. To my joy, in a few moments my ear opened and drained. All fear left me, and in a few days I was completely healed.
In a short time after this uplifting experience, I found that I no longer cared to smoke, so this habit was stopped without any specific work on the problem, other than my humble desire to find out as much as I could about this really practical religion.
