Article May 11, 2020 Issue

When a close family member was hospitalized

Gloria Preston

For many years I have been the only Christian Scientist in my extended family, so I have spent many an hour in hospital waiting rooms and accompanying family members and friends to their medical appointments.

Early on, I learned to highlight in my thought the loving motives of everyone involved, including medical staff, even when fearful or sad predictions, and even hopelessness, seemed to predominate in their words and actions. To me, looking for and acknowledging the love underlying their work is similar to reading an autobiography and highlighting the ideas that show the good thinking that helped the author transcend difficulties. So a couple of years ago, when a dearly loved family member asked if I would accompany her to another state, where she would undergo major surgery and, hopefully, recovery, I willingly said yes.

I did want to see more clearly, though, how I could be the most supportive of this family member and those trying to help her, when my understanding of the way to healing was so different from theirs. So I set out to find concrete guidance through earnest prayer and listening for God’s direction.

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When a close family member was hospitalized

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