Caring for Laura

*Patient's name changed to preserve privacy

When I'm asked how Works of Love came into existence I never get through an explanation without mentioning Laura. Laura was an active fifty-something woman. She was striking in her intelligence, independence, and figure. She was an activist who fought for good. But something was ailing her and she had exhausted a long list of Christian Science nurses before she got to my name.

Her story went something like this...

Laura was not interested in having her ailment diagnosed. She was praying because praying was what she knew; it's what she'd always relied on; it's where she felt her healing would be found. Her grown children, however, were scared. They begged her to get it checked out and when she did, the diagnosis included the phrase, "stage four."

While she was more than happy to remain in the closet of prayer and seek healing from her metaphysical work, her children's fears spoke louder, so she went for treatment.

She called her Christian Science Practitioner, every day. She read the Bible Lesson, every day. She kept her books by her side, everyday.

Was this my case? Would I support someone who was taking daily medication and on a chemotherapy regimen?

Laura wanted a Christian Science nurse because of the metaphysical thought we bring with us. Because of the qualities of order, punctuality, patience, faithfulness, and our receptivity to Truth and Love. She wanted someone who understood the privacy needed for her daily practitioner calls; someone who knew what it meant to read to her from the books. Someone who could find a hymn just by reciting a line.

She was still praying, she was not fearful. She wanted a Christian Science nurse.

This was my case.

I saw the other caregivers that rotated around either side of my shifts. They were medical staff who brought liter bottles of Mountain Dew. They carried in portable televisions sets. It wasn't just the odd things they brought to their caregiving duties, it was the way they asked solely about her functions, mechanics, and medications without any depth of feeling for Laura, the child of God. But I couldn't fault them, they were doing the job they knew.

Laura got a solid chunk of time each day when everyone in her home was uplifted in thought, looking away from matter, and turning to God for direction. She was my first patient who was under medication while still working diligently for healing through Christian Science.

And she will stay with me forever.