Testimony of Healing December 1, 1997 Issue

In 1973 my husband and I adopted our first child, from Korea

Suzanne Widgery

In 1973 my husband and I adopted our first child, from Korea. We used the time during which the paperwork was being processed to pray for our new infant daughter. Our prayers began with these words from Malachi: "Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?" (2:10). And we found inspiration in this verse from the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 278):

Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee,
Heir of the ages and child of the day.
Cared for, watched over, beloved and protected,
Walk thou with courage each step of the way.

Later, after much urging by this daughter to adopt a sister for her, we applied for and received Jennifer. She, too, was a precious example of divine Love's unfoldment. Today, these two daughters are young women in their twenties. As I look back on their years at home, I recognize the presence of God's healing power. One morning when our younger daughter was two, she woke feeling feverish and completely listless. She wasn't interested in food or play, but just wanted to be held. As I rocked her in my arms, I sang the words from one of Mary Baker Eddy's poems put to music: "O gentle presence, peace and joy and power" (No. 207). I stopped to ponder the order of those three words, "peace and joy and power." At first I thought they should be reversed: if I could feel God's healing power, I could then be joyful, and when I was freed from illness, peace would follow. But then I reasoned that one aspect of peace is quiet thought filled with the assurance of God's healing presence. Joy is the gratitude to glimpse even a small portion of spiritual perfection. And power is the embodiment of Truth. My daughter sat up, then slid off my lap. She was healed completely. There was not even a period of recuperation. As she walked away, I asked where she was going. "I'm hungry," she said. "I want my dinner."

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