(Minghui.org) When I married my husband in 1991 my mother-in-law wasn’t yet 60 years old. She didn’t seem to care about other people’s feelings; she had a quick temper, was very domineering, and was difficult to get along with. Her relationships with her four children were very strained. Whenever the family gathered during holidays or festivals, they often ended up arguing and leaving unhappy. The relationships among the four siblings were not good either.

My mother-in-law clearly favored her own children when it came to food. For breakfast, besides cooking porridge, she sometimes made dumplings, noodles with special flavors, and other special dishes, while I was usually left with only porridge. Whenever her children came to her home for meals, there were delicious dishes on the table, and she sometimes gestured at me not to eat them. The first time she treated me that way I hid and quietly wept. I gradually got used to it, but my resentment toward her grew.

I started practicing Falun Dafa at the end of 1998. In July 1999, Jiang Zemin’s regime began to persecute Falun Dafa. At that time, I didn’t understand cultivation very well, and I was illegally arrested and detained several times. Because I studied the Fa for only a short time, I didn’t know how to look inward and cultivate myself. But I did know that as a practitioner, I should follow Master’s teachings: be a good person and not bring shame to Dafa. Before practicing, I was lazy, loved playing mahjong, enjoyed eating and drinking, and I was in poor health. After I began to practice Falun Dafa, my health miraculously recovered. I worked hard: I did the housework and helped care for my husband’s bedridden grandmother. Because I was repeatedly persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), my mother-in-law became increasingly displeased with me, and my resentment toward her increased.

In the summer of 2012, because of my eldest daughter’s marriage plans, my sister-in-law stirred up trouble, and my mother-in-law wanted to throw me out of the house. She previously tried to drive me out, but this time our relationship completely broke down. Due to my poor enlightenment quality, I became totally trapped in the conflict and I failed to see myself as a cultivator. I blamed others instead of looking inward. Feelings of grievance, resentment, and indignation filled my heart and mind. For nearly a month, I did not even call her “Mother.” I deeply resented both my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. A year later, while still harboring strong resentment toward them, my husband, younger daughter, and I moved out of the home we lived in for more than 20 years.

Although we no longer lived together, I often visited my mother-in-law and brought her fresh fruit. However, I wasn’t doing it wholeheartedly. I just did this because Master taught us to respect and care for our elders. I reminded myself, “If I didn’t practice Falun Dafa, I would never have treated her this well after the way she treated me.” It was Master who taught me to become a better person. I sincerely thank Master for this.

In 2018, my father-in-law passed away at the age of 91. Right after he died, my mother-in-law said she wanted me to take care of her. When I heard this, I instinctively resisted the idea. I truly did not want to live with her again. After I moved out and enjoyed a peaceful life, I knew all too well how difficult her temper could be. If things did not go her way, she could argue endlessly for days.

Even though I was unwilling deep down, my mother-in-law and her caregiver moved into my home in 2019. I gave them the best bedroom. By then, my mother-in-law could no longer take care of herself.

After my mother-in-law moved in, she and the caregiver often had conflicts, and the caregiver frequently complained to me. My home was no longer peaceful. Day and night, there were constant quarrels—small arguments every few days and bigger ones every week. My husband became so upset that he even wanted to send his mother away. It was extremely stressful.

The caregiver took time off during the holidays and had two days off every month. During these times, all the responsibility of caring for my mother-in-law fell entirely on me. At night, she did not sleep well and constantly drank tea and other beverages, ate fruit, and repeatedly called me to help her use the bathroom—sometimes more than 10 times a night. It was exhausting and miserable. Although I was taking care of her, I deeply resented her. When she didn’t do what I wanted her to do, I complained to her, spoke harshly to her, and even developed bad thoughts toward her.

Compassionate Master did not give up on me and continually enlightened me. Master teaches us to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and treat others kindly. Through Master’s compassionate guidance, I finally realized: the problem was with me. I did not know how to look inward. My mother-in-law was actually helping me improve in cultivation. Master arranged for her to come live with me so I could eliminate my resentment toward her. But I never thought about it that way. Instead, I only blamed her and stubbornly clung to my strong attachments like ordinary people, even forgetting why I was on Earth.

I decided to follow Master’s teachings and completely let go of my resentment for both my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. I wanted to treat them kindly and I sincerely hoped Master would save them. Master teaches us to clarify the truth about Dafa and save those who have been deceived by the CCP’s lies. Following Master’s teachings, I let go of my selfish thoughts, cherished my family members, clarified the truth to my mother-in-law, and helped her withdraw from the CCP organizations. I also no longer wanted to resent my sister-in-law. I clarified the truth to her as well and helped her withdraw from the Party organizations. I felt happy for them because they chose a bright future and were blessed by Dafa.

This year, as usual, the caregiver went home for the Chinese New Year holiday, and I took care of my mother-in-law, who is now in her 90s. Since she did not eat much, I carefully prepared small meals for her throughout the day and cooked foods she liked. I also taught her to say, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I even bought a media player so she could listen to audio programs about Falun Dafa. She listens almost every day and often clasps her hands together while repeatedly saying, “Falun Dafa is good.”

She’s now regained much of her former vitality. Although she still causes some commotion, she is doing very well for someone in her 90s. It truly is as Master said, “When one person obtains the Fa, the whole family benefits.” (“Teaching the Fa and Answering Questions in Jinan” Explaining the Teachings of Zhuan Falun)

Once again, I thank compassionate and great Master!