(Minghui.org) This year, my daughter and son-in-law, who live in another city, brought my young grandson home for Chinese New Year. On the way, my grandson and son-in-law caught the flu. As soon as they got to my place, they both had a fever. My daughter and I stayed up all night taking care of my grandson.
Two days later, I was supposed to bring my mother-in-law from her hometown to celebrate the New Year with us. However, she did not want to come when she heard my son-in-law and grandson had the flu.
My husband was in a difficult position. If he didn’t go back to his hometown, his nearly 90-year-old mother would be spending the New Year alone, which he couldn’t bear. On the other hand, this was the first time my son-in-law was celebrating the New Year with us, so my husband also needed to spend some time with him.
I decided to put others first, as I’ve learned from practicing Falun Dafa. I suggested that he go back to his hometown on New Year’s Eve to clean the courtyard and cook for his mother. Then he could come back in the evening to have dinner with us. The following day, he could have breakfast with us before returning to his hometown to celebrate with his mother. He liked the plan.
While my husband was away, I took care of everything at home and prepared dinner, working from morning until night. When my husband returned, we made New Year’s Eve dinner together. My son-in-law, who hadn’t eaten much due to the flu, finally had some of his favorite dishes, which made me feel relieved.
On New Year’s morning, I reminded my husband to go back to his hometown to celebrate with his mother. He headed over there and invited a few relatives over to keep her company, which pleased her. She didn’t expect me to let my husband return to celebrate with her.
At home, my daughter and I were busy taking care of the children and my son-in-law. Fortunately, they were feeling much better by the second day of the New Year.
On the third day of the New Year, my brother invited the whole family to dinner. During the meal, my husband toasted my mother’s health and happiness. The family was filled with joy.
It wasn’t easy for my husband to say this because he had always been afraid of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners, as my mother and I were both practitioners. He used to criticize and mock us whenever we were together, causing tension in the family. To him, my mother was more like an enemy than an elder.
This year, however, he has changed significantly. When we were leaving, he even helped my mother downstairs. My younger sister was delighted and remarked, “How has my brother-in-law become so nice?”
My mother later said to me, “It’s because you’ve become better, and he has, too.”
I realized that my change—putting him first—led to his change. Following Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance allowed me consider others first. Practicing Falun Dafa has indeed been wonderful.
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Category: Improving Oneself
