My heart is overflowing with gratitude for a lesson I learned...

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for a lesson I learned about human relationships, a lesson I could never have learned without the teachings of Christian Science to guide me. I feel there may be those who will benefit from my testimony, and so I lovingly offer it.

I had always been what friends and relatives called a "good daughter," doing everything I could for my parents, whom I loved dearly. I did those things because I wanted to, not because I felt duty-bound. But I never felt that I really succeeded in helping my parents overcome a problem of depression they seemed to have. After visits I would leave feeling frustrated. Then I would have to work hard to maintain my joy. I knew that I should not carry a burdensome sense of responsibility for them, but letting go of this heavy weight was very difficult.

One March when my husband and I were in the Far East, a call came from the family. We left immediately, flying across the world to be with them, as my dad was ill. When I reached him, nothing I did could interest him. He became difficult and quarrelsome, whereas before we had always had a wonderful, loving relationship.

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October 27, 1986
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