I opened The New York Times on a Sunday morning last summer and was astonished to read the headline announcing the death of Princess Diana. I felt gripped with sadness and despair. I stopped immediately to pray to see that there is no accident possible to man, because man reflects God, who is divine Love. After I had prayed for an hour or more, however, the heavy feeling of loss had not lifted. I turned more earnestly to God to learn what it was I needed to see more clearly about His creation. Two thoughts came to me in rapid succession. The first was, "God is Life." The second was a sentence from Science and Health, "But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?" (p. 563). Within a few minutes, I felt peaceful and calm. All sadness was gone. I pondered and treasured that healing silently the rest of the day.
Throughout the following week, as the world anticipated the coming funeral, I diligently prayed to see that God is Life, that Life is not in matter, that no one's life can be ended by an accident, because Life is eternal. One statement from Science and Health became clear to me in a whole new way: "Mortals claim that death is inevitable; but man's eternal Principle is ever present Life" (p. 312).
Within a few
minutes, I felt
peaceful and calm.
All sadness
was gone.
