Article November 30, 1987 Issue

"I prayed with more heart than ever before"

Written for the Sentinel

It happened so fast I didn't know quite what to say. I was leaving the house to ride my horse when a member of the family angrily told me I should give up reading "that black book" (meaning my copy of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy). I turned around and listened until the accusations were over. I could hardly see through the tears that were forming in my eyes, but I managed to say, "I'm going riding. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

For the next two hours I rode hard. I was praying at the same time to find my way out of the disappointment and hurt and self-justification that had come out of nowhere to spoil a normal summer's day. As I circled my horse in a wide flat area, I thought about what had just happened and how God could help me.

It wasn't the first time my family had shown their displeasure over my studying Christian Science. Disagreements between us had sprung up ever since I had begun going to a Christian Science church two years before. We argued about other things too —conservative versus liberal politics, the clothes teen-agers wore, and which of my friends were good company for me. But no argument came close to the sparks that flew in the verbal battles over my choice of religion.

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