In 1918 my father, while in the Army, became ill with flu. He had been raised by devoted Protestant parents, and in a delirious state he called on God for help. A Christian Scientist who was nearby heard his call and asked my father if he could pray for him. The answer was affirmative, and the result of the prayer was a quick healing. My father attended services in a Church of Christ, Scientist, with this practitioner for several months, until his discharge from the Army and his return to his home in Ohio.
Some years later, while unpacking a trunk, my mother found the small edition of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy that my father had received in the Army. He told her about his healing of flu, and she began to read the book. Not long afterward she hired a maid who, seeing Science and Health on the table, informed my mother that she was a Christian Scientist. She told my mother more about this religion and showed her how to read the Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly. At this time my parents were living in the city where my father had had his healing, and my mother contacted the practitioner who had helped him. This was the beginning of my mother's earnest study of Christian Science.
For my mother, who had been brought up in a strict Protestant home and taught to "fear God" in a literal sense, this divine Science was indeed the Comforter. I shall always remember her reading the Bible and Science and Health at every opportunity. Her spiritual understanding grew, and her conviction of God's provision was helpful in enabling us to go through the depression years. My father's business remained intact, which provided for our needs as well as for the needs of relatives. There were many healings along the way and some difficult trials, but no matter how severe the belief of error, my mother always had the Bible and Science and Health nearby. When she wasn't reading, her lovely voice could be heard singing hymns.
