Perhaps there is nothing from my childhood that I am more grateful for than that I was sent to a Christian Science Sunday School. My parents did this for me even though they were not themselves practicing Christian Scientists. During those years I learned that I was the perfect child of God, and truly felt that I was always protected and in His care.

Later, I fell away from practicing Christian Science, although I never ceased to identify myself as a Scientist. It was during those years, however, that I had a wonderful experience of protection. While I was being driven home by a friend one evening, two men stopped our car, and at gunpoint demanded that we drive to a secluded spot off the main road. Because my sense of a good, loving God, had been nurtured in Sunday School, I looked at one man, and, acknowledging to myself that he was a child of God, smiled. He asked me why I was looking at him. I replied, "I guess because I'm not mad at you." With that he told the other man to stop the car, and we were let out unharmed. (They drove away, but the car was found intact the next day, and I knew that those two men must have been touched by the healing Christ, even as I was.)

Not long after this I became quite ill with what later was said to be pneumonia. I made the decision to call a Christian Science practitioner for help. An instantaneous healing resulted. After that I began attending Christian Science church services regularly, and there I met the fine man who eventually became my husband. We had many happy and fruitful years together and raised two daughters under God's guidance and care.

Christian Science gave me an expectancy of good, so that in most cases a deep delving into metaphysical truths was not necessary before a healing appeared. This was particularly true when the children were sick; simply acknowledging them as the perfect offspring of a loving and perfect creator many times brought instantaneous healings.

Our daughter was brought home from school one day, her face covered with bandages. I was told a glass door had been broken in her face, and that she had many cuts, some serious. It was suggested that she be taken to the hospital for treatment. We immediately began to pray for her, remembering that Christian Science teaches there are no accidents in God's kingdom. We refused to condemn the boy who had broken the glass door, understanding that it was essential for us (for the sake of healing) to be expressing Love, a synonym for God. That evening I had to attend a school function, and our daughter wanted to go also. So I took the bandages off and found, to my joy and gratitude, that healing was already so advanced that there were only a few red lines on her face; these disappeared in just a few days, leaving no scars.

Another healing occurred while the family was at a summer spot. Our daughter began having the symptoms of a severe cold. I, of course, was praying for her, and one reference from Science and Health kept coming to me: "Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy. Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine 'powers that be'" (p. 249).

She wanted to go out and join the other children in the swimming pool. Since her physical appearance hadn't changed, I questioned letting her do this. But in this instance I realized I should not let any "mortal or material power" destroy the pleasures of her vacation. After all, weren't we all subject to the divine "powers that be"? From that moment on I felt no concern or fear, so I allowed her to go swimming. She came out of the pool a half-hour later completely healed, with none of the symptoms so evident beforehand.

We had many other quick or instantaneous healings, including ones of mumps, sprained ankles, and illness from drinking contaminated water. Many other illnesses were healed before we even thought to attach names to them, always by simply acknowledging the perfection of God's creation.

One healing for which I am particularly thankful involved painful calluses on the bottoms of my feet. I have valued the spiritual lesson the healing taught me ever since. This healing was not immediate, and I often had the calluses removed physically at first. Periodically I prayed for more love, as it came to me that this was needed to correct any hardness in my thought ("hardness of heart") that could be manifested in hardness on my body.

One evening after going to bed, I felt a roughness on the bottom of one foot. Curious as to what it was, I got up and was surprised to find that a callus on that foot had dried up. When I looked at the other foot, the callus was already almost entirely detached. I was overcome at that moment with amazement, and thought to myself, "I know how Moses felt at the burning bush."

I then began to recall events earlier that evening, when I had received a telephone call from a member of my family, bringing news concerning the distress of someone who had caused our entire family much unhappiness. I can truly say that previously I had felt only contempt and anger for this individual; but as we had discussed his unfortunate situation, I felt great compassion and tenderness toward him.

I then realized it had been that unselfed, pure love, such as comes from God, that had healed my hardness toward this man and at the same time healed the chronic calluses appearing on my feet. This was over ten years ago, and I've never had another callus since.

Our whole family has been blessed in studying Christian Science. For this, and for what it has to offer the whole world, I give great thanks.

Lois Drew Boden
San Mateo, California