We were on a steam train excursion and had been walking around watching the engine being turned on the turntable ready for the trip home. We had to walk through a dark tunnel under the tracks to reboard the train. Suddenly I found my head and shoulders moving through the air, while my feet had gone out from under me. I do not remember hitting the ground, just feeling the "everlasting arms of Love" the hymn speaks of (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 53) holding me.
Immediately my son asked: "Are you all right, Mother?" "Of course I'm all right" was the answer. They helped me to my feet, and we continued on our way. "Well, maybe I can use a little help!" So my two boys helped me up the stairs and down the track toward the train, where we stood for some time waiting to board. I was not in any discomfort. However, the Lord's Prayer and "the scientific statement of being" (see Science and Health, p. 468) occupied my thought. I also held to the spiritual fact that I walk in the light, in the consciousness that I express God-given strength. And I thought about the statement in Science and Health that points out, "Adhesion, cohesion, and attraction are properties of Mind" (p. 124). I include these spiritual forces as my very life and substance.
Three hours later, back in Hoboken, I could stand, but not walk. Because of my difficulty the train crew called the medics. I knew the need was never material, but always spiritual— it was the need to recognize more fully the omnipotence and omnipresence of harmony, strength, and security, which are spiritual qualities given to man by God. My daughter firmly assured these dear people that she would see to it that I had the proper care nearer home. Finally convinced, they reluctantly left. She called a Christian Science practitioner to treat me. Because I live alone and some distance from family, it seemed wise to also arrange for a Christian Science nursing facility to care for me.
