Growing up in a Christian Scientist family, I learned to turn to God for healing in any trouble. If my own prayers failed to bring healing, I turned to my mother, my grandmother, or Christian Science practitioners. Menstrual cramps, poison oak, and unhappy human relationships were healed. Never was there a doubt about the fact that Christian Science is completely dependable.
During the summer following my first year as a schoolteacher, I traveled to Europe. One morning I woke with a heavy cold. Rather than join in sightseeing, I stayed in the car and studied that week's Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly. When I finished reading, I had the most wonderful conviction that God was my whole Life. When the others returned to the car, I was free of all symptoms except a nasal sound in my voice, which disappeared before nightfall.
Years later, when our third child was tiny, we had a difficulty that demanded prayerful perseverance and great spiritual growth for us. As a part of her final adoption procedure, we were required to have her physically examined when she was five months old. The physician told us the examination revealed a heart murmur. When the state social welfare agency heard of this and found that we were relying on Christian Science, they were alarmed. They instituted a court hearing, charging us as negligent parents. The result of the hearing was that, although the adoption was finalized, the child was made a ward of the court. It was stipulated that she would have to have regular physical examinations, and if the doctors felt that a medical procedure was necessary, it would be mandatory. (Though she had many examinations, no medication or surgery was ever required or performed.)
