As an active portion of one stupendous whole, goodness identifies man with universal good. Thus may each member of this church rise above the oft-repeated inquiry, What am I? to the scientific response: I am able to impart truth, health, and happiness, and this is my rock of salvation and my reason for existing—Mary Baker Eddy (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 165).
AT THE AGE OF EIGHT, I was the youngest member of a local Girl Scout troop. When it came time for a statewide competition for the members of all the troops to display their varous skills, I signed up to demonstrate making eggnog, the simplest and easiest item on the docket.
The big day came. I could hardly wait to have my turn at showing others how to make this sweet drink. But, when I saw so many other girls demonstrating this same skill—all of them older and obviously more experienced—my confidence fizzled. Then one of the girls finished her demonstration by gracefully slipping a pretty pink striped straw into each glass. That did it. I knew I couldn't top that! I begged my mother to pull my name from the list of eggnog demonstrators. In spite of her appeals that I at least try, my tears won out. Off the hook, I quickly rebounded, happily dabbling in the other activities of the day—ones that demanded so much less of me.
