(Minghui.org) By the time my mother was 58, she suffered from many health problems and was quite sick. Even though she took lots of medication, her health did not improve and she was told that she would not have long to live. She was always irritable and had a bad temper. She insisted on being in charge of every situation and always had the last word whenever anyone argued with her.
My mother and my sister-in-law argued constantly. There was no peace in our house, and my sister-in-law and my brother moved out. Our neighbors, friends and relatives were very concerned about them and tried to calm my mother down. Nothing anyone said or did could change her.
A Falun Dafa practitioner came to our area in 1999 and held a free workshop to introduce the practice. I encouraged my mother to attend, but she said she did not believe it, because she had paid a lot to learn another qigong and it hadn’t helped. I reminded her that Falun Dafa was free and encouraged her to try it.
The next day she went to learn the exercises. She began coughing badly seven days later when she tried to smoke. She kept trying to smoke, but every time she inhaled she coughed terribly. She quit smoking that day.
Mom was illiterate, but she attentively listened when other practitioners read the books. She knew that practitioners should follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and be considerate of others.
After she changed her behavior, her health improved. She tried not to lose her temper whenever someone argued with her. She cooked and did the household chores for my sister-in-law. She constantly looked within for any shortcomings and tried her best to be considerate of others.
Our family lived in harmony. My sister-in-law praised Falun Dafa and told others, “Falun Dafa is really good. Our family is very happy now.”
When the Communist regime started the persecution of Falun Dafa, she said, “The Party says that Falun Dafa is not good. That's sheer nonsense. If my mother-in-law did not practice Falun Dafa, she would never have become so kind.”
Displaying the Demeanor of a Practitioner
A practitioner couple was sent to a forced labor camp after the persecution began. Their two daughters, 11 and 4 years old, were left on their own. Their parents’ friends and relatives listened to the propaganda that vilified Falun Dafa and hated practitioners, so no one would help the girls or take care of the family’s crops.
I talked with other practitioners. We agreed to take care of the crops on their land so that they would have something to live on after they were released. We harvested their wheat, sowed corn, and fertilized their fields.
One morning I went to their cotton field and saw a lot of weeds. I started to work on it row by row before the rain came. I did not finish until 2 p.m. My cousin came and urged me to stop and eat.
She said, “I believe in Falun Dafa. Only a Falun Dafa practitioner would help others so unselfishly.”
Stubborn Father-In-Law Changes His Attitude
My father-in-law was a stubborn man. He was retired and lived on his pension. Poisoned by the Party propaganda, he argued with me about Falun Dafa. He tried to stop me from practicing and even urged his son to divorce me.
He became bedridden when he was 76. I brought him meals and looked after him every day. Unfortunately, deep inside I complained about him because I could not stop thinking of how badly he had treated me. I kept reminding myself that I was a practitioner, that I should look within during conflicts and treat others with compassion. Because he believed the Party's propaganda, wasn't he also a victim?
One day after I had washed his oily hair and dirty feet, he said, “No one else would be so kind and take care of me like this.”
Whenever I washed him, I asked him to remember “Falun Dafa is good.” He did not say anything, but his eyes filled with tears. .
