It is with much gratitude and joy that I take this opportunity to express my appreciation for Christian Science and for the blessings I have received through it.
Science came to me in the darkest hour of my life, when I was without hope, fearful to the extreme, physically ill, and, worst of all, firmly convinced that God did not exist. During those days of suffering I found myself mentally groping, yes, even hoping that I might find some answer, some assurance that I was mistaken about God. One evening I remembered having seen a copy of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, in an old family trunk. Upon locating the book, and before opening it, I prayed my first serious prayer. As near as I can recall, this was it: "God, if there is a God, and if life is really spiritual and this book can help me to find it, I pray that I may understand it." I opened the textbook and my eyes rested upon the first line of the Preface (p. vii), which reads: "To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings." I pondered that statement and, before retiring that night, decided to lean on "the sustaining infinite" to the best of my ability.
After reading the textbook for three weeks I was completely healed of a stomach disorder that had distressed me greatly for about five years. This healing aroused in me a greater interest in the book, and I began an earnest study of it, seeking to know God and man's relationship to Him. As the days passed, Science and Health became my constant companion.
