(Minghui.org) My work is in housekeeping and nursing. Two years ago, I began working for an elderly lady.
She was a quiet woman and she often appeared unhappy. She also smoked heavily. Just looking at her sad face made me feel anxious. I was always worried that I had done something to upset her.
I was soon feeling very uncomfortable around her, and her smoking bothered me; I was thinking about quitting. But then she came down with an illness and needed a lot more care. I did not think I should leave just yet.
I was so busy with her care that I was not able to take care of my child, study the Fa or make informational materials about Falun Dafa. I had to quit!
She found a nurse to take my place but it was not long before she was calling me. She said my cooking was much better and she wanted me to cook something for her every day. She then wanted me to be the one who took her to the hospital everyday for a checkup. She told me she would pay me for these services but not as much as when I was working full-time for her.
I found out the nurse she hired was being paid more than she ever paid me. At first I felt bad and resentful, but I quickly remembered that I am a practitioner. How should I behave as a practitioner?
I shared my feelings with fellow practitioners. I studied the Fa more and realized that I was not compassionate. I had the heart for seeking personal interest, and desiring comfort. I forgot to cultivate myself in conflicts. Instead I looked for other people's shortcomings.
Falun Dafa practitioner's mission is not for personal interests but to help awaken people to understand Falun Dafa and the persecution. Only by cultivating myself well could I be successful in helping people understand it. My behavior should be a window for people to be open to learning the truth about Falun Dafa.
Through studying the Fa more, I was more determined to get rid of those human attachments. I understood that this job was not just to provide me with an income. Rather I should take this opportunity to help people who had a predestined relationship with me to let them know the goodness of Falun Dafa through my actions. I should look after the elderly lady well and help her to trust me with my behavior and words.
I made a pledge in my heart that I would set a higher standard for myself and cultivate my every thought and deed, walk on the path that has been arranged for me and become a better person.
Very soon thereafter I was able to get along well with this elderly lady. When I no longer had those attachments I found everything went smoothly and there was harmony between her and I. I also was no longer disturbed by the strong smell of her cigarette smoking. I shared with her information about Falun Dafa and she withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party and thought Falun Dafa was good. As I suggested to her, every day she repeated “Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
She had a cell phone and she asked my daughter to check it for her and let her know how much credit she still had remaining on the phone. The next day I returned the phone to her. She felt the credit on the phone was much too low and that I must have used it for my own use.
I explained to her that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and I would not do such a thing. She did not believe me. I was getting annoyed. But immediately I realized that I had to act in an upright way. So I took her concern seriously and went to the mobile store to check it out for her. What I found out was that she had made calls to her sister that she had forgotten about and that had reduced her credit.
She felt guilty for blaming me. But I was able to remain calm and was not upset with her. Actually I thanked her in my heart because she gave me an opportunity to improve and let go of my attachments.
While at her home I often sang Falun Dafa songs to her. She enjoyed them and said the lyrics were exceptional, and whoever wrote those lyrics were exceptional people. She enjoyed my singing so much that she would ask me to sing for her guests. So through my singing I let people know about Falun Dafa. I would then explain to them further about Falun Dafa and give them materials to read. I used this platform to reach more people and let them know the goodness of Falun Dafa.
The elderly lady had changed a lot as well. She did not always look unhappy, and she could walk steady and talk soundly. She regarded me as her daughter and praised me to whoever she met.
Looking back I realized that my time and employment with this lady was a process for me to let go of my attachments. There was no right or wrong but everything happened to test whether I could let go of my attachments. As a practitioner in this period, I came to this world to compassionately help people awaken.
