(Clearwisdom.net) I was deeply touched by the article "A letter to my daughter" on the Clearwisdom website by a fellow practitioner. I'd like very much to share a part of my own experience.
My daughter began the practice of Falun Dafa in November 1998 when she was just 10 years old. She accompanied me often to our practice site then, but we lost our group practice and study environment after the persecution of Dafa began in July 1999.
One day she said to me while I was studying the Fa, "Mom, it was so nice when we could study the Fa together with other practitioners. How come we no longer do that anymore?" I told her that since the Jiang regime started persecuting Dafa they no longer allow us to do so. She replied, "We will do it regardless." I told her doing so would bring trouble to others, it's better just to study at home.
One day I told her, "How about we study one page of Zhuan Falun each day? That way we will complete the book in one year. If we do not study the Fa then we will deviate away from the Fa. You know Mom's health changed for the better because mom studied the Fa. Otherwise it would be impossible for you to go to school and wear clean clothes. This was the benefit brought to you by Dafa so that you would not lose the loving care of a mother."
My daughter replied, "Very well, I will study one page each day before I go out to play." I acknowledged approvingly, "That will be great."
She finished one page on the first day.
On the second day, she said, "I could read two pages." Again I nodded with approval.
As she grew older, she demanded herself to study more, from one paragraph to one chapter. After she started middle school, her homework load was quite heavy, yet she had excellent grades. Now she would finish one chapter in 4-5 days, and she did the exercises once a week. I would do extra tutoring for her during winter and summer holidays. She could listen to Master's lecture recordings one chapter at a time, and we woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning to do the exercises together.
She asked to accompany me whenever I went out to distribute Dafa pamphlets. Sometimes I told her we did not have enough flyers and she did not have to come with us. But she would demand, "I could just distribute one flyer for each 10 flyers that you adults distribute." I could no longer refuse and took her with me.
Now she was a big girl, and I would often create opportunities for her to access articles, flyers and VCDs from Clearwisdom.net, so that she could learn how to clarify the truth. She worked hard and seldom had time to play. She often had to go to sleep after 10 at night.
Observing her busy schedule I felt I might have pushed her too hard. I told her from time to time, "Go to bed. You can make it up tomorrow." My daughter would say, "Mom, I do my best to study the Fa. I can do it. Why don't you go to bed first?" I felt so ashamed and would continue studying the Fa.
I was arrested in 2002. After I was released from the detention center, I lost my strong resolve with my righteous thoughts. I no longer studied the Fa or did the exercises. My daughter said, "Mom, you no longer study the Fa, but just watch TV." I blurted out without a clear conscience, "I have studied enough. I don't need to study any more." My daughter cried and brought Zhuan Falun to me, "Mom, you once told me even to study just one page each day, we can not go on without the Fa. You must study the Fa." Tears rolled down from her cheek, and she continued, "Mom, if you do not study the Fa they will continue their persecution. You will get sick again without studying the Fa. Mom, you study the Fa, I will take care of the chores at home."
I got up after stumbling in my path and continued my journey of cultivation. To this day, I benefited greatly from my daughter's help. Now she's learned how to clarify the truth at school. Sometimes she would insert truth-telling flyers with her homework, telling her classmates by saying, "After practicing Falun Gong for four years I never get sick or get shots. I am very healthy. The TV propaganda is all lies." She also consolidated all the truth telling information into a letter to her teacher. Her teacher replied, "I am not against you practicing, but be careful about your safety." Her classmates also told her that they would like to learn Falun Gong from her since it was so good. There were many classmates who would like to be friends with her, and her teachers cared about her very much, too.
So we helped and encouraged each other along the bright journey of cultivating persistently in Dafa, step by step cultivating towards the arrival of the Fa rectification in the human world. Teacher said,
"On the rest of the journey, may you fulfill, with godlike righteous thoughts and righteous actions, the grand vows you made before history!
The endless journey has come to a close
And the pervasive haze is gradually dispersing
While righteous thoughts display the might of Gods
Returning to Heaven is no longer just yearned for"
("New Year's Greetings from Master, December 31, 2003")
I wish for all my fellow practitioners to take good care of young practitioners at home, let us accomplish our grand vows made before history together.
2004-3-22