Members of our family were traveling to another city to enjoy a special get-together while also attending a state swim meet, in which a family member was competing. My husband and I ate a late supper before retiring at the hotel. In the early hours of the morning, I began to manifest symptoms of food poisoning and was quite ill. Regret at becoming a "wet blanket" to all the planned fun and fellowship with family made me feel even worse. I turned earnestly in prayer to the one loving and omnipotent God. I denied the underlying fear—that another power could make me sick—and realized what was true about God, that He is maintaining only health and harmony for His spiritual creation. My questions at the time resembled those in this verse in Psalms: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shallyet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God" (43:5).
I became engrossed in loving and being grateful for God's creation.
The "scientific statement of being," found in Science and Health (p. 468), was a great help in calming my thought and alleviating some distress. It was extremely difficult, though, to attend even a few of the morning heats of the swim meet, and the thought of a quick lunch in noisy place where I could not continue praying seemed unacceptable. My husband did need to eat, however, so we located a restaurant and were seated in a quiet area (answered prayer) near a window. As my husband ordered lunch, I saw through the window two swans with some other water creatures in a small river inlet, surrounded by beautiful foliage. The scene was so serene that it seemed almost heavenly. I became so engrossed in observing this, and in loving and being grateful for God's creation, that when my husband's lunch was served, it smelled so good—and I felt so refreshed—that I ordered some, ate it with delight, and enjoyed thoroughly the remaining activities of the weekend.
