In the spring of 2019 my husband passed on. This was rather sudden, and it marked the beginning of a very significant lesson and healing for me over nearly three years. This situation was compounded by the fact that three members of my immediate family had passed on in the three years previous to my husband’s passing. All of this led to a very challenging time in which I struggled with what felt like depression.
My husband and I had a very close and loving relationship for many years, and my relationship with each of the other three family members had been one of genuine mutual affection and support, but it was very hard to just acknowledge and be grateful for that. I was dealing with grief, but I was also confronted with a pattern of thought that had been a challenge over the years. It involved taking on an exaggerated sense of responsibility for the problems of others, leading to a feeling of guilt when I couldn’t be as much help as I thought I should be. In this case, that took form in looking back to ruminate on what I could have done better.
I called a Christian Science practitioner for treatment, and after a few days, he asked me just to open Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. I did, and it opened to page 353, where my eyes fell on this statement: “When we learn that error is not real, we shall be ready for progress, ‘forgetting those things which are behind.’ ”
