A friend of ours many years ago— “Mr. Schmidt”—was the only person I ever knew who’d actually met Mary Baker Eddy face to face. As a boy in Concord, New Hampshire, he’d seen that city’s most illustrious citizen often on her carriage rides. She’d wave to him—and sometimes even stop for a little conversation. He knew nothing about Christian Science, but something about this woman captured his heart, and he felt compelled to explore her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. And he never looked back. Christian Science became the guiding star of his long life.
One time I asked this friend to give a talk on Mrs. Eddy at a church meeting, hoping he’d inspire us with some personal anecdotes. He inspired us all right, but never even mentioned that he’d known Eddy firsthand! What he emphasized was how important it is to follow her—to treasure her revelation, to practice the laws of God in our own healing ministry.
After the meeting, I asked him why he hadn’t described his encounters with Eddy. “Oh, I could tell you about her beautiful blue eyes, and how she looked deep into your heart, with so much love,” he said, smiling. “But that’s not what’s important about our Leader. It’s too personal.”
