(Minghui.org) There is a Chinese saying, “Blessings never come in pairs; misfortunes never come alone.” I truly believed it, since I used to suffer so much, for so many years.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1997, however, I have been happy every day and that saying no longer holds true. Here I would like to share my story.
Endless Suffering
I already had many illnesses by the time I was in my 30s. Abnormal menstruation caused severe bleeding, which then led to anemia. Several times I suddenly passed out while walking on the road or in the snow. My hemoglobin was only 7.2 g/dl, about half of the normal level. Because of anemia, I was too weak to walk or even raise my head. To make things worse, I was later diagnosed with stomach problems, Ménière's disease, low blood sugar, and other illnesses. An egg-sized uterine tumor put me on additional medication, intravenous injection, and hospitalization.
I made up my mind to cure my illnesses and thus searched everywhere for treatment. One of the Chinese Medicine doctors I respected treated me for about two years. I tried to swallow all the herbs he prescribed, no matter how bitter they were. But each time I could not help vomiting all of them afterwards. Seeing that the Chinese Medicine did not help me, the doctor told me to try qigong exercises. I spent lots of money following a qigong master, who I found out later to be a fake. My illnesses worsened instead.
Still, in my heart I was longing for a way that would come one day and solve all my problems.
Wonder and Joy
One day in the summer of 1997, while resting in my dorm, I heard a sound played from a cassette player. I did not know what it was, but I felt as if that sound had the power to penetrate my heart and reach my soul. My entire body felt soothed and comfortable, a sensation I'd never experienced before. This lasted a while and I then came back to myself. Out of curiosity, I followed the sound and found that it came from an office two rooms down from mine. A coworker was listening to the audio lectures of Falun Dafa. The volume was not that high, but it was striking to me.
This interesting experience connected me with Dafa and I began practicing. The joy from then on was beyond description. All the pain and suffering ended, and my uterine tumor also vanished. I became a person free of illness.
Ever since childhood, I had been having a recurring nightmare in which someone was trying to kill me. It was horrifying and scary. After I began to practice Falun Dafa, I came to understand that the beings that chased me in my nightmares must be those that I had killed in my previous lives.
One day, I was being chased in my dream again and there seemed no way out. Suddenly, I remembered I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and asked Master for help. Master appeared in a yellow Kung Fu suit just like in the exercise teaching video. Master came with a sword and the being that was after me in the nightmare disappeared instantly. I never had those nightmares again and I was so happy.
A Person of Principle
Falun Dafa teaches its students to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, so I reminded myself to act in accordance with these principles. At my workplace, I became more easygoing and my coworkers trusted me because of my personality. At home, I got along well with my mother-in-law and our family lived in harmony.
My workplace was a privately owned shop and the owner asked me to manage the day-to-day operations. In the beginning, there was no clear accounting system. Knowing myself as a practitioner, I did not take advantage of that for my personal gain. After a while, the owner noticed that and trusted me very much. He asked me to handle the transactions of all the money, goods, and logistics.
When I needed to leave the shop after work there for a couple of years, the owner did not want me to go as he did not trust other employees. He asked if I could find another practitioner to replace me. His wish was soon realized. I was happy to learn that his wife later became a practitioner too.
Protection from Master
It has been 21 years since I started practicing Falun Dafa. Master has helped me along the way and I am very grateful. Here are some examples.
One time I was riding my bike home with my child on the back seat when dark clouds suddenly appeared with strong winds and constant thunder. “Let's ask Master for help,” I said to my child, “Hopefully it will not rain until we get back home in 15 minutes.” Just as soon as we went in the door, the rain immediately started pouring down. I was so thankful to Master for protecting my young child and me.
On a winter day, I took my child to visit my parents, who lived in a remote area. We had to walk about two miles in the dark after the bus transit. As I worried about how I'd get my young child to walk that far, a jeep suddenly stopped in front of me. It was a vehicle from my mother's workplace and the driver was our neighbor. The driver gave us a ride directly to my mother's door. We were indeed very fortunate, because the vehicle normally did not come this direction and had I been half a minute earlier or later, I would have missed it.
Another weekend came and I needed to visit my parents again. A brand new taxi stopped in front of me. I told the driver I could not afford it because of my low income. But he said he was set to start working as a taxi driver the next day and he needed a test drive today. So he took us to my mother's place for free. Although I did not have much money, I still gave him some, believing that as a practitioner, I could not take advantage of others.
There were many seemingly trivial situations like these, but these were tough times for me as a mother. I had no doubt that Master helped make my life easier in those situations.
Above are just some of my experiences and I am blessed by Falun Dafa every day. I know many other practitioners feel the same way—happy and grateful from the bottom of their heart.
