Falun Dafa Taught Me to Be Kind to My In-Laws

(Minghui.org) Before I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1995, I was weak and frail, and I felt that even a slight gust of wind could knock me over. I suffered from neurasthenia, which caused insomnia, anxiety, and sometimes uncontrollable laughter and tears. I had a nervous heart condition—just hearing my younger sister flipping through a book frightened me so much that my chest hurt. My mother had to use the sewing machine in another room because the sound was unbearable. Although I was only 30, I had cerebrovascular blockage. After giving birth I developed rheumatism—my legs were painful and cold, and acupuncture or cupping did not help. On the hottest summer days I envied the women who wore skirts, because I didn’t dare remove my thick pants.

After I married I realized my father-in-law controlled the household. He took my husband’s salary and didn’t give us a single cent. When he later decided to split the household, he ignored all the promises he made before I married his son, such as buying me a sewing machine and building us a house. My husband and I had to borrow money to build a small house that was only 24 square meters (about 260 square feet). Yet my mother-in-law went around telling the neighbors, “I paid for the beams and pillars of their house.” In fact she didn’t spend any money at all. We didn’t have a cupboard, but we knew my in-laws had an extra one. When my husband asked for it, his father demanded 30 yuan, and even charged 25 yuan for a single board we needed when we built our house. He told us to repay him when we had money. I felt deeply wronged and thought, “Is he really my father-in-law?”

The winters are bitterly cold in northeastern China, and our shabby little house was very drafty. My second sister-in-law felt sorry for us and gave me a few quilted covers for the baby. But my mother-in-law took two of them. I cried every day while holding my child—we had no rice or firewood.

Among all the sons in my husband’s family, we were in the worst situation. My father-in-law was biased, stingy, and snobbish. He never treated us with respect. I started working when my child was older. At that time, my husband’s monthly salary was 50 yuan, with 10 yuan going to support his parents and another 20 yuan to his mother for childcare. When I arrived after work to pick up my child, my father-in-law was inside the house eating dinner. Because I didn’t give them money to provide meals my mother-in-law took our child outside to play and refused to feed him.

I went to work every day with a headache, pushing through each day despite feeling sick. When I returned home, my body felt like it was falling apart. Once, in front of my husband’s younger sister, my mother-in-law mocked me with harsh words and a cold stare, “You’re the worst one—today you’re sick here, tomorrow you’re ill there. Everyone is better than you!”

I’ve always been introverted and not good with words so I stayed silent when I was criticized. After hearing my mother-in-law’s words, I went home and cried in secret.

After I began practicing Falun Dafa, all my illnesses disappeared. My body felt light, and I no longer felt tired from work. I was filled with confidence and hope for the future—I felt like I was the happiest person in the world.

Guided by Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance I was able to let go of my resentment. I was freed from the pain of illness, the hardships of family life, and worries about the bleak future. My heart was filled with lightness and peace—something I never experienced before. I told myself: I must cultivate diligently. I will tolerate my parents-in-law. I will understand, honor, and respect them.

After I began practicing, my mother-in-law was amazed by the improvement in my health and the kindness I showed her. Her attitude changed. When she faced several health crises, I taught her to sincerely recite, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness- Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She and other family members personally experienced miracles and felt immense gratitude for Master’s compassion.

Whenever my mother-in-law found discarded Dafa information pamphlets, she would give them to me. Once, when I visited her in the hospital, the doctor said, “She had a heart attack and is in critical condition. Prepare for the worst. Her blood pressure is gone, and we can’t draw blood. Her face and arms have turned black.”

My mother-in-law said to me, “Yan, I don’t want to die.” I held her and sincerely recited, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” After about half an hour, they were able to draw blood from her, and she was noticeably more energetic. She was in the hospital for only three days before she was discharged. She even told the women in her ward, “Your illness cannot be cured by the hospital. Go home and practice Falun Dafa.”

My kindness toward my mother-in-law did not go unnoticed by my father-in-law, who was deeply touched. He confided in me that no one would care for him in the future. I comforted him, telling him not to worry or get upset, but to take care of his health. I said, “I practice Falun Dafa, and I will definitely take good care of you in the future.” My father-in-law wanted to give me 5,000 yuan, but I refused to accept it. He wept and said, “No one else gave me money. Only you buy food and clothes for me, and even give me money.” When he offered to give me a blanket that he considered the best item in the house, I did not accept it.

He later became paralyzed, and his seven children took turns caring for him. One day, he urinated blood, staining large patches of the bedding. No one wanted to wash it. When it was my turn to care for him, I cleaned the sheets. There was so much blood that it was difficult to wash out, and I used up an entire large tank of water. When my second sister-in-law saw this, she said, “Only someone who practices Falun Dafa would do this. No one else would.”

During the hot summer, my father-in-law sweated heavily, so I put water in the sun to warm it up. When he woke up from his nap at noon, my sister-in-law and I bathed him. His land became neglected, and overgrown with weeds as tall as a person. I went there and cleared the weeds, bagged them, and carried them away. When my sister-in-law happened to bring a cart of firewood for him, I carried the logs inside. Then I tilled the soil and planted radishes. My father-in-law called out to me, “Yan, stop working; you’ll wear yourself out!” After I did all that, I still cooked meals for him. Since he couldn’t chew very well, I mashed boiled eggs and fed them to him.

If my father-in-law didn’t have a bowel movement for three days, he would definitely have diarrhea on the fourth day. After his stroke, he often soiled everything around him, and even threw used toilet paper on the bed. He would say, “I don’t want to live anymore, I am disgraceful.” When the bedding and the bed were soiled, I washed them. I told him, “Dad, it’s alright. I’m not much younger than your daughter. Just think of me as your daughter.”

As I did these chores, the neighbors saw and said, “What a wonderful daughter-in-law! Where can you find one who would clean up her father-in-law’s waste?” I told them, “I practice Falun Dafa. Master Li teaches us to be good to everyone and always have a kind heart.”

I helped my father-in-law wash his hands and face and I trimmed his nails. He smiled and asked, “Why are you so good to me?” When I replied, “Aren’t I like your daughter?” He was moved to tears.

It is Dafa’s principles that taught me to be a good person, and to become an even better one. I am grateful that the blessings of Dafa have come to our family.