The Path Widens When I Cultivate Myself According to the Fa

(Minghui.org) I work as a 24-hour caregiver for a practitioner’s parents. I previously cared for elders on and off, but not on a live-in basis. I told fellow practitioners I wanted free time to do the three things, but in reality, I had a deep-seated notion about not living under someone else’s roof and feeling trapped, like a prisoner. I knew I could not tolerate that.

I was particularly careful not to work for younger employers—I felt they were picky. So, I quit many jobs because of this selfish notion. I was between jobs for several months with no income, and my cultivation reached a bottleneck.

I occasionally felt anxious and uneasy, but I knew I had to let go of my ego, break free from the constraints of my human notions and attachments, and negate the old forces’ arrangements which was in the form of financial persecution.

“When I’m Ready for a Job, a Job Will Be Ready for Me”

Two years ago, I visited an elderly practitioner who is warmhearted and expressed concern about my lack of a job. I reassured her, “Auntie, I appreciate your concern. Please don’t worry about me. When I’m ready for a job, a job will be ready for me.”

Master helped me, and my cellphone rang less than half an hour later—it was a call from the recruitment agency. I left the practitioner’s home and went to the agency.

When I arrived, a man in his 60s was talking with my agent. She told me about the job: “His friend, an elderly woman, is looking for a nanny. Her daughter-in-law just had a baby, and no one is available to assist the elderly woman during the postpartum period. She is in poor health and needs a nanny during the day and will pay 3,200 yuan (US$480) a month. There are no holidays, but you can request days off.”

I would have immediately declined such an offer in the past, but accepted it this time. I went with the man to the employer’s home. Unlike before, I let go of my human thoughts and notions and I focused on the family that needed my help.

The elderly woman didn’t look too well, but she had a certain air about her. She was happy to see me, held my hand, and invited me to sit down. She asked, “Are you able to do this long-term?”

I replied, “Yes, I can work on a trial basis for two months [until the end of the year]. Tell me what you need me to do, and if you’re not satisfied with me, feel free to let me know.”

She responded, “Perfect! At first glance, I can tell you’re direct and capable.” Then she turned her head to the side and had to cough.

According to the elderly woman, her new grandchild had to be delivered by C-section. They hired a postpartum helper, but the helper quit after only five days due to the workload. That was why she wanted to know if I could work long-term. Her son worked out of town. She also had an older grandson who was in junior high school.

The elderly lady asked me to make meals for the family, including postpartum meals for her daughter-in-law, and also to clean the house. I asked her about the specific requirements for the postpartum meals, and she also told me about her grandson’s food preferences, explaining that he was a picky eater.

To my relief, her daughter-in-law was easygoing and ate anything I made, preferring lightly flavored food. I did my best to use as little oil and salt as possible. She ate steamed buns, steamed twisted buns, steamed stuffed buns, and dumplings, accompanied by pork soup with Chinese red dates or millet porridge with yam.

The grandson was very picky. Within just a few days, he had grown tired of all his favorite foods that I made. I casually made two thin egg pancakes using the leftover flour from making tomato pancakes, and he finished them in several bites and told his grandma that he wanted more.

I was so happy that I had found something he liked, so I made them every few days, and he finished them all. But before long, he grew tired of them too. He hid in his room after he came home from school. He ate packaged snacks, and skipped dinner. His grandma and I could not find a better way to deal with this habit.

One day, the grandson couldn’t find his cell phone. The grandma and daughter-in-law asked if I had seen it. I told them, “I haven’t and I don’t even know what it looks like.”

The daughter-in-law described it, saying, “It’s black. His dad bought it for him. Did you see it when you cleaned his room?”

My heart remained unmoved. I replied calmly, “No, I didn’t see it.”

I felt that the incident was targeting my attachment of “not being able to bear being wronged,” which was previously a big trigger for me. This time, I wasn’t moved by their questions, and instead I actively helped them look for the phone.

In less than an hour, the daughter-in-law found the cell phone in a jacket hanging behind the door. She said excitedly, “I found it! He was wearing this jacket before you arrived this morning. He forgot about it. Great, it’s found!”

The elderly woman was in poor health. Her persistent cough kept her awake at night, and her complexion was dull from lack of sleep. I said, “Have you tried anything for your condition?”

She replied, “I’ve been a Christian for many years.” I got the sense she didn’t want to try anything else.

I told her that I also have a faith and believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I told her how wonderful Falun Dafa is and that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes it. She accepted everything I told her and acknowledged that Falun Dafa is good. I helped her quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.

A month passed quickly. The elderly lady could hardly keep her eyes open, and I felt that she might collapse at any moment. So I said, “The postpartum confinement period is over. You can go home and get some rest. I will stay here and take care of everything.”

I was surprised to hear myself say this because it was not something I could have done in the past. However, I couldn’t bear to see this elderly lady suffering and wanted her to get some rest. It was this selfless thought that helped me make the decision.

She replied, “Are you sure?”

I said, “Yes, no problem.”

I gave her a Falun Dafa amulet and I asked her to say “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She happily accepted it.

From then on, I took care of all the housework, including shopping for groceries, doing laundry, and washing diapers.

One day, while I was cleaning, the daughter-in-law’s best friend came to visit. I overheard the daughter-in-law praising me, saying, “If you want to have another child, I recommend her for your postpartum care.” Her friend gladly asked for my phone number.

Let’s Hire Her Full-Time

In late February this year, I made an agreement with practitioner Baoling to care for her parents starting in March.

I received a phone call from a former employer, a 75-year-old woman. Her husband died in a car accident 20 years ago and she was disabled. She had no mother or sisters and preferred me to call her “Big Sister” instead of “Auntie.”

I realized that she actually wanted me to be her goddaughter, but she didn’t dare to hope for this because of her disability. I looked inward and saw that I had the same attachment of wishing for others’ care and protection.

She called me that day to say she’d been hospitalized for a week after a fall. She was now bedridden and alone at home, and wanted me to spend some time with her.

I looked after her for a week. A neighbor visited her and saw how thoroughly I had cleaned her house. She wanted to hire me, and I told her that it would be fine as long as I was available.

“Big Sister” was very independent and insisted on exercising by herself because she did not want to trouble others. I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to her and suggested that she repeatedly say “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” to stay safe and healthy. She accepted my suggestion.

After the week passed, she recovered relatively well and I said, “It’s time for me to leave. I have another family waiting.”

With tears in her eyes, she said, “Could you please ask that family if you can care for me for another week? I’m not fully recovered and I’m worried I might fall again. I’ve been really glad to have you around these past few days, and I’ve been feeling a lot better too. My son saw how well you work and told me to hire you full-time long-term, if you are available.”

I asked Baoling if I could postpone my start date, and she agreed. Fifteen days later, “Big Sister” could use the bathroom on her own and prepare food by herself, so she let me leave. She still calls me from time to time, hoping I can work for her.

“What Master Teaches Is the Truth!”

Baoling’s parents are both in their 90s. Her mother used to practice Falun Dafa, but after the CCP began persecuting Dafa in 1999, out of fear, Baoling’s father made her stop.

Now her mother suffers from cerebellar atrophy and can no longer take care of herself. Her memory is deteriorating, and she has a hard time hearing things. Sometimes, she doesn’t even recognize her own children. However, whenever I say, “Auntie, recite it!” she immediately says, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

Not long after I began working there, Baoling’s father realized I practice Falun Dafa. He said with a smile, “No wonder I knew as soon as you arrived that we would get along.”

I asked how he knew, and he replied, “I could tell from your face. Perhaps it’s because of some predestined relationship.”

I said, “You’re absolutely right. We do have a predestined relationship. We have all been blessed by Dafa!” He smiled.

After that, I often talked with the elderly gentleman about Falun Dafa. We discussed how it is practiced in more than a hundred countries around the world and how warmly it has been welcomed overseas. I also shared stories about how good is rewarded with good and evil with evil.

He said, “My daughter also told me that there are people practicing Falun Dafa in many countries, including India, Japan, France, the US, Australia, Germany, Thailand, and Vietnam. The governments in those countries all support Dafa. Only the CCP forbids it. Jiang Zemin is truly wicked...”

Baoling’s father is no longer afraid of the CCP, and he often says “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” The three of us listen to Master’s lectures every day. Sometimes, he points to the media player and says, “What Master teaches is the truth!”

We also listen to cultivation stories on Minghui Radio. He refers to the global sending forth righteous thoughts as “practicing” and often reminds me when it is time, saying, “Practice well!”

One day, he gave me 30 yuan to buy groceries at a supermarket. I returned within half an hour and gave him the receipt and change in coins. He looked puzzled and said, “Didn’t I give you 80 yuan?”

I paused and replied with a smile, “Uncle, do you remember? You gave me a 20-yuan bill and a 10-yuan bill.”

He said, “But where’s my 50-yuan bill?”

I responded, “Check your bag.”

He emptied the bag and said, “Ah, the 50-yuan bill is here. I thought I had given it to you.”

I realized that nothing happens by coincidence. This incident was testing my attachment to “not being able to bear being wronged.”

After letting go of my human thoughts and notions and rectifying myself according to the Fa, I realized that I must face reality and do my job well because this is the environment Master has arranged to remove my human attachments. I must cherish this opportunity, truly cultivate myself, assist Master in Fa-rectification, and help him save sentient beings, fulfill my vow, and repay Master’s grace!