World War II was a very hard time in Amsterdam. People suffered a lot and everything was taken from us. There was no heat, no light, and no food. Everyone was starving. My father died from starvation. Loved ones all around us were taken away, and my friend Marius, the man who later became my husband, was taken off to be a forced laborer in a German factory. I hated the enemy.
In March 1945, when I was 18, I had a nervous breakdown and became very ill. I was the only Christian Scientist in my small family. I just didn't have the courage to go on living. Everything I loved most—my father, our liberty, our church and Sunday School—had all been taken away. There was no life in me anymore. The only thing I could think of then was death.
For the previous six years, I had attended the Christian Science Sunday School, until it was forced to close. There, my teacher taught me that we must not hate, but love each other and everyone, even the enemy. He was a wonderful teacher and I loved Sunday School. Now, when I was close to death, my teacher came to my home and spoke to me. What helped me most was when he talked to me about "the scientific statement of being" in Science and Health. See Science and Health, p. 468 . It has only a few dozen words—I counted them—but it is the basis of Christian Science. If you approach life from the standpoint of this statement, you can overcome every fear.
