(Minghui.org) My mother-in-law lost her mother when she was six years old and married into her husband’s family at the age of 19. Her in-laws pampered her like a daughter, and over the years, she became stubborn and bossy.
I was born into a family that valued traditional culture, but grew up under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) indoctrination. I was guided by the philosophy of struggle and mistrust, and thus, I couldn’t get along with my mother-in-law for over 20 years. After I began practicing Falun Dafa, I changed by behavior and mindset according to the teachings of Master Li.
My mother-in-law was deceived by the CCP’s propaganda and refused to hear the truth about Falun Dafa. While I was illegally detained in a labor camp for my belief in Falun Dafa, my husband and son fell victim to a pyramid scheme. They lost all our savings and incurred a significant debt.
My mother-in-law ignored the injustice I faced and the inhuman conditions in the labor camp, as well as the struggles of her son and grandchild. At 70, she looked at wedding photographs and enjoyed her “good” life without concern.
To help my in-laws understand the truth, I asked my mother-in-law to install an NTDTV satellite receiver. She agreed, but soon asked my father-in-law to dismantle it.
I asked a fellow practitioner to reinstall it. My mother-in-law maintained a long face during the installation and gave him a hard time. However, the practitioner remained unfazed, understanding that her behavior stemmed from her ignorance of the truth about Dafa, and successfully completed the installation and configuration process.
One day, my mother-in-law called me over to her place and told me she had lost her ring. I said, “As long as you didn’t wear it outside, it’s not really lost.” She claimed to have searched several times without success. I told her, “Don’t be anxious. It will show up when you calm down.” After comforting her for a bit, I left. She found the ring in a blanket. I later learned she had called me over because she believed I had taken it.
One morning in 2014, I was cleaning the floor, and heard my mother-in-law cursing. When I asked what was wrong, she said she lost the money she had sewn into her futon. I replied, “Are you sure it was there? Nobody comes to our house. Your son, the kids, and I wouldn’t take your belongings. Please check again. I don’t even take gifts from others, so why would I take anything of yours?”
She resentfully replied, “My son can’t do it alone. He can rip out a seam, but he can’t sew it back.” She was implying that my husband had opened up the futon, taken the money, and I sewed it back. Such senseless injustices like this happened all the time.
After my father-in-law passed away, my family moved in with my mother-in-law to take care of her and ease her loneliness. Due to her symptoms of a stroke and mobility issues, I had a ramp installed at her doorway and handrails added for support. I also replaced her toilet seat with a raised one for easier use.
She often scolded me when she was in a bad mood, which made me sad, but I continued to treat her with kindness. I bought her helpful items like a walker, a walking cane, and a night-light.
To help my mother-in-law understand the truth about Dafa, I bought her an MP3 player which was filled with stories about Dafa and traditional Chinese culture. I encouraged her to frequently recite “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness- Compassion-Forbearance is good” for her well-being. When she was sick, I cooked for her, did her laundry, and emptied her bedpan.
In short, I kept Master’s teachings in mind, followed the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, treated my mother-in-law well, and strove to be a good person wherever I went.
My mother-in-law gradually changed. She took the initiative to contribute to my son’s car purchase and gave me money for Chinese New Year’s shopping.
When I was arrested for clarifying the facts, she became so worried that her blood pressure rose. A practitioner visited her with antihypertensive pills and encouraged her to listen to truth-clarification stories on her MP3.
My mother-in-law happily said, “This little player is so effective! When I don’t feel well, listening to the stories makes me feel better right away. Dafa teaches people to be good, and I enjoy listening to them. Everything said in there is right.” She added, “Please turn it on for me now.” She always invited the practitioner to visit whenever she saw her.
The care I gave my mother-in-law and stories about Dafa changed her perspective. She now keeps a Dafa amulet with her at all times. Before the Chinese New Year, she even asked me for truth-clarification calendars to share with her friends. Her neighbors once remarked that Falun Dafa gave her a good daughter-in-law, to which she responded, “Falun Dafa is good!”
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
