In my early twenties, I lived in New York City, where I loved attending art school; however, I was entangled in an unhappy relationship.

My girlfriend and I had met and dated in college and after that, long distance. For a short while we tried living together. During that time something was missing—our relationship lacked depth and connection, and this inevitably led to friction. Not only did I feel alone but I also felt guilty for staying in a relationship that was not making either of us happy. 

I would often call my mother and lament. She had been studying Christian Science for a few years and would occasionally offer ideas she was learning from her studies. I wasn’t always receptive to hearing about God, but I had grown up with a respect for Christian Science. My father’s mother, who was an extremely loving person, sometimes shared Christian Science ideas with my sister and me. I owned a Bible and a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and I would sometimes read the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly when I needed to feel more inspired, but I didn’t feel I was making spiritual progress.