Dear Sentinel

From children and young people

with contributions from Mark Schwaller, Shirley Schwaller

Dear Sentinel,

In third grade, there were two boys who didn't treat me well. One boy would steal the dessert from my lunch. And the other boy would try to pick fights with me.

When the boy tried to pick fights and push me, I would dodge him and try to stay out of his path. When the boy who stole my dessert got to lunch, I would notice he had my dessert. I began to bring my lunch to my desk so he wouldn't steal it.

I never got mad at either boy, but these things didn't seem right. I was taught in the Christian Science Sunday School that God made everyone equal and made everyone in His own likeness. I thought of these boys as God's children. The Bible, Genesis 1:31, says that "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." In other words, all His children are good. I pictured the two boys as good.

Finally, summer came, and then fourth grade. The boy who would steal my lunch moved four houses away from us, down the alley. He now comes over every day, and he turned out to be a real good friend. And he never steals anything from me anymore. In fact, he even found my bike in the alley and returned it to me.

The other boy now asks me every day to play football with him at recess with the other boys. Another way to say all this is that "if goodness goes in, goodness comes out." As Mary Baker Eddy states in Science and Health, "And Love is reflected in love ..." (p. 17).

Mark Schwaller
Dallas, Texas

Dear Sentinel,

I am Mark's mom. We have talked about what a wonderful blessing it is to have two friends, who seemed at first not to want to be friends at all! After reading the letters from other children in the Sentinel, Mark wanted to write up his own experience. These are his words.

When Mark came home and told us about the boy pushing him frequently, I asked him how he felt about it. He told me how he was praying, then grinned and said, "Oh, I've turned it into a game. I pretend we are on the football field and he is tackling me and I am getting away from his tackle. I'll be a better player."

Mark did not react with anger or hurt; instead, he found a way to keep on loving. We then talked about the verse in Genesis. He decided that all of God's children are good—not bullies!

Sincerely,
Shirley Schwaller

(Note: A testimony of healing by Mrs. Schwaller also appears in this issue. See page 35.)

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