In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy says that "giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us" (p. 79). For some time my desire has been to give a testimony of gratitude for all the richness of life that has been mine since I have been a student of Christian Science and a part of this great movement.

As a young girl I was considered frail and also very shy. To take part in school discussions was most difficult, and in order to make a passing grade, I had to study very hard.

My first introduction to Christian Science occurred when a friend of my mother's passed on suddenly. His wife showed great courage at this time, and I learned later that she was a student of Christian Science. This greatly impressed me.

Later a dear friend with whom I worked in a public office encouraged me to read Science and Health. She also gave me a copy of the Christian Science Quarterly and showed me how to study the Bible Lesson.

After becoming a student of Christian Science I was able to take part in community activities that required me to speak publicly. Also I was able to pass a difficult examination to receive a license to sell real estate.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5, 6). This quotation from the Bible is my favorite text, and many times it has helped me in making an important decision.

When dear ones have passed on, grief has been healed by the realization that there is no separation in divine Mind and that all God's ideas live and move in Spirit.

One time when our four children were small, my strength seemed to give way completely. I was flat on my back for about a week. Then a Christian Science practitioner came to see me and reminded me to work with facts, not fables. She reminded me that because I was God's idea my strength came from God, divine Love. She quoted the statement by Mrs. Eddy (Science and Health, p. 385), "Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself." In a few days after the practitioner came to see me I was completely recovered.

When the children were just starting to school, funds were low, but we always had plenty to eat and wear. The children seldom had the popular contagious diseases. If one child had a so-called children's disease, it was soon overcome and forgotten. Knowing that only good is contagious, and that this was all that the children could experience, helped me overcome fear.

Being a member of the Church of Christ, Scientist, and a student of Science certainly fortified me in the days when I was left alone with three teen-agers.

When my sons were serving in the Armed Forces, one on Guam and another in Puerto Rico, hurricanes were at one time racing toward those islands. The best thing I could do was to take my Bible and Science and Health and study the Lesson-Sermon and other references regarding safety. In so doing I found peace of mind. As I pondered the ninety-first Psalm and knew that divine Love fills all space and that no law of matter could harm, my fears were quieted. Both of the storms veered and did not touch either island. I can never be thankful enough that my three sons returned from service without a scratch.

Years ago my husband and I had a most harmonious trip across the country. An added joy was the privilege of visiting The Mother Church, the Publishing House, and Mrs. Eddy's Chestnut Hill home. Later on I had the wonderful experience of class instruction, for which I am deeply grateful.

I am grateful to Mrs. Eddy for giving us the textbook and her other writings. I am profoundly grateful for Christ Jesus, who taught us to walk in his footsteps, for as long as we do so, we are protected and directed in ways of righteousness and peace.

(Mrs.) Beulah A. Redford, Laguna Hills, California