Our Family Has Lived all over the United States—East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, North, and South. Though I can't say I've ever gotten used to moving, I've always approached these transitions with a spirit of adventure and with the reassurance to our children that there is good to be found everywhere. Several years ago, though, when my husband was transferred from Minneapolis to Memphis I didn't relish the thought of leaving, because I felt very happy and comfortable where we were. I tried, somewhat stoically, to make the best of the move. But I was plagued by a nagging feeling of unhappiness.
Shortly after our arrival in Memphis, I developed a slight rash around my eyes and on some other areas of my body. Feeling overwhelmed with the many adjustments of the move, I didn't immediately pray about this condition, as I normally would. But soon, with the extreme heat of late summer, the condition worsened. I began to wear sunglasses everywhere—even indoors—because the skin around my eyes looked so unsightly.
I was frustrated. I saw the condition as another negative effect that seemed to be caused by moving to a new location, and this compounded my feelings of unhappiness. I realized that I needed help. So I called a Christian Science practitioner and asked her to pray with me. We started from the standpoint that since God, who is Spirit, is All, there could be nothing unlike Him—nothing that could cause irritation or pain, nothing that could be irritated or painful. This wasn't always easy to remember when I looked in the mirror or was troubled by the irritation and discomfort associated with this condition. But after several months, I got much better about not looking in the mirror and looking, instead, to God to see what He knew of me as His reflection, made in His image and likeness, as the Bible says. (See Gen. 1:26.)
