About twenty-five years ago, Christian Science changed my way of thought, thereby blessing my whole life! I began to study Christian Science to cure my grief when my parents passed away two years apart. Membership in a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, and The Mother Church followed within two years, and then I prayed for the next important step, class instruction. Within three months, that prayer was answered when I met my teacher at a Wednesday testimony meeting, and had class before the end of the summer.
Several years later I was married. When I was moving to my new hometown, I was aware of a vacancy there for the position of Advertising Representative for The Christian Science Monitor. I had never sold advertising, nor worked with art layouts of any kind, but I had a deep desire to serve in this capacity. I cautioned my husband not to say anything to his church board, feeling if it were right for me to do this work it would come to me unsolicited. When I transferred my church membership to the new city, the advertising representative position was offered me unsolicited.
The whole move was a challenge—marriage, new city, new family life, new church experiences. A month after I began this work, the daily town newspaper went on strike for five months. During this critical period, any special advertising in smaller newspapers or out-of-state newspapers was adversely affected, since most stores and merchants resorted to television, radio, and customer mailings. The territory also included three adjacent towns. To inspire my thought and work I leaned heavily on my growing understanding of the synonyms for God, on study of the Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly, and class association assignments. In approaching advertisers as well as making new contacts, I was helped by the following statement from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy (p. 454): "Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way," and (ibid., p. 506), "Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear." In July of the first year I was surprised to receive a bonus check and a letter stating that I had earned this for having increased sales of advertising during the first six months of that year.
