Ten years ago it became necessary for me to return to a small city in which I had spent my early years and to assume responsibility for the operation of family-owned business interests. Mrs. Eddy's assurance on (Isa. 33:6), "Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation," enabled me to assume my duties rapidly.
In a short time I found a qualified person to help me reorganize a special kind of business and to aid me in complicated estate matters. Later I was able to collect a large number of debts which had been carried on the books for many years. My attorney informed me that because of the six-year statute of limitation in our state, I could no longer collect this money through ordinary legal channels. Here I stood as firmly as I knew how to in refuting the suggestions that poverty, selfishness, or dishonesty could prevent the honoring of an honest debt. In the subsequent collection of these accounts, I found only one person who ever mentioned that I could not legally enforce collection of the bill.
Although I realized that the business would one day be sold, for reasons I could not explain I declined three good offers for it. At the end of five years a faithful employee expressed a desire to buy it. I knew at once that this was right, not only because he had long been associated with the business, but because he expressed such patience, kindness, and integrity in dealing with the public.
