My gratitude is immeasurable for being raised in a home where Christian Science was practiced daily. My father passed on when I was about two years old, but I saw my mother solve seemingly insurmountable problems through this Science.

When I was twelve years old, I went horseback riding one day with friends. As we were galloping along, the horse I was riding slipped and fell about six feet down an embankment onto a hard dirt road, where he landed on top of me. A split second before we hit the ground, I recalled something I had learned in the Christian Science Sunday School: "Now am I the daughter of God; I am not material, I am spiritual and perfect."

The leg that was caught under the horse when we fell was bent in an unnatural way, but I intuitively refused to accept such evidence as my true being. I did not wallow in the mud of materialism and self-pity, because I knew that my protection lay in the inspired thought that had come to me. I got up and out from under the horse, and then he got up. There was never any pain. We were both a little shaky, but perfectly well. Remembering this instance of dramatic protection helped bring healing in other situations many times after that.

One time, while in high school, I accidently sliced the index finger of my writing hand with a razor blade. My sister helped me bandage it, and together we affirmed the truth of this statement from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, who writes of a little girl's response when she was questioned about her injured finger (p. 237): "There is no sensation in matter." The pain ceased immediately, and within three days I was again able to write letters.

During my sophomore year in college I began to feel very alone. The following summer, while working away from home for about eight weeks, I studied references from the Bible and Science and Health in an effort to better understand true companionship. Several pamphlets that I found in the local Christian Science Reading Room were also very helpful. During this time I gained a greater sense of the uninterrupted nature of good and the impartiality of God's law and love. By the end of the summer I felt such a deep and consistent sense of peace that being alone no longer troubled me.

Soon after I returned to school I met a young man. But it wasn't until we had been dating quite regularly for two months that I recalled the prayerful study I'd done over the summer. I was completely awed by the power of prayer! This man is now my husband and is a dear inspiration to me.

More recently, when our family was taking a trip across the country, our young son developed a severe earache. At the time we were nearly one hundred miles from the nearest town. He was crying uncontrollably when it came to me that singing hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal might be a good way to listen for God's direction. This comforted both of us. The crying ceased immediately, and he was able to go to sleep. I then prayed to see the identity of this child as painless and Godlike. Our son slept until we reached the next town but then woke up and began crying and pulling on his ear. So, we stopped at a pay phone and called for help from a Christian Science practitioner. The phone call lasted about two or three minutes, and when I got back to the car, I found a completely joyous, well child. How thankful we all were for such instant proof of God's love. I was especially grateful for my husband's complete support at that time; he was beginning to understand the healing power of Science.

I have had many wonderful healings through the truths demonstrated by Christ Jesus and made practical by his follower, Mary Baker Eddy, in the discovery and founding of Christian Science. I am most grateful for the help this scientific teaching affords parents in raising a family, for loving, steadfast practitioners who stand by us in times of crisis, and for class instruction from a dedicated teacher of Christian Science.

PATRICIA SCOTT GANTT
Houston, Texas