Years ago, I cleaned out my aunt’s apartment in Chicago after she moved to a nursing home. She was a Christian Scientist, and I took a few of the books she had left behind and added them to my personal library.

One night a few years ago while studying for a university course, I was listening to my radio and happened to tune in to the radio edition of The Herald of Christian Science. When I heard the testimonies of healing by Christian Scientists, and how they solved difficulties through prayer, as well as the concept that God is Love—all Love—I felt my life was about to change.

I grew up in a home where church and the Bible were an integral part of my experience. My dad was a preacher, and our family attended church every Sunday and Wednesday.

Many decades ago, after graduating from high school, I looked disdainfully on anyone who believed in God. It seemed very clear to me that believers were either stupid or crazy! This was my mind-set for a period of more than ten years, but before that it was a different story.

I grew up in a religious family, regularly attending a Baptist church. Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, was special and memorable as the children carried palms down the center aisle.

I grew up with strong roots in a traditional Christian religion, and will always appreciate how my family instilled in me the importance of drawing close to God. However, by the time I was married and a young mother, I was disturbed by some of the theological teachings of that faith, especially the doctrine of atonement.

While taking a one-year diploma course in child guidance and family counseling followed by a three-month internship, I was staying at the YWCA Working Women’s Hostel in Chandigarh. I would often notice a sign near the entrance of the YWCA building with these words: “God heals.

When I was in college, I injured my back at work. After lengthy medical treatment ending in a month-long hospital stay, I was told by doctors that they could offer no cure for the chronic pain that had caused me to drop out of college.

I am most grateful for Mary Baker Eddy giving the world Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, along with all her other writings. Even though she wrote in the later 19th and early 20th centuries, her works still meet the needs of all people today, and they will for centuries to come.

I used to like to go out with my friends to drink and pursue worldly pleasures, even when I was married. This went on for many years.