I Was Treated as a Family Member When I Helped An Elderly Couple

(Minghui.org) I am 70 years old and have been practicing Falun Dafa for twenty years.

An elderly woman in her 70s broke her legs around 2003. She was unable to move, and her husband was in poor health. Their three daughters were busy with work and had no time to take care of them. An acquaintance asked if I could help out as a maid and cook meals for the elderly couple. Once the woman’s legs were better, I could stop the job. I heard that this woman was not easy-going and had trouble getting along with her own daughters.

I used to be extremely protective of myself and was afraid of being hurt by others. So I didn’t want to accept the job.

This acquaintance tried to persuade me to accept the job a few times, and I thought of Master’s Fa:

“From now on the problems you confront won’t happen by chance. So please be mentally prepared. By enduring some hardships, you will come to let go of all the things an everyday person can’t. You will run into many troubles. Problems will arise in the family, socially, and from other sources,” (Chapter III in Falun Gong)

As a Dafa practitioner, I shouldn’t think this way. I was asked to help, so there must be a reason for it. Isn’t this just the right opportunity to improve my endurance, and eliminate the human notion of not being willing to listen to unpleasant things?

As long as I could treat the couple with sincerity and kindness, and have a good relationship with them, they would accept me. Thus, I agreed to take the job.

Working as a Maid

During my first day at work, I first cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, inside and outside the drawers, cabinets, and stovetops, until everything was spic and span. I went grocery shopping the next day, as the woman’s second daughter’s family of three was coming to see her. I didn’t mind even though I was only supposed to cook for the couple. However, the extra cooking really increased my workload without any extra pay.

They were very particular about their meals. They wanted six or seven different dishes for each meal. I carefully prepared each one to suit their needs as much as possible. They were very happy with what I provided. A few times, I noticed that the woman appeared unhappy when she heard her daughter complimenting my cooking. I was worried that her unpleasant mood would be bad for her health, so I quickly changed the topic.

I took great care and consideration in preparing meals for the couple and her daughters’ family, as it wasn’t just that one time. The elderly man’s teeth and stomach were not good, and he couldn’t eat much. In order for him to eat more and get more nutrition, I came up with a plan. I picked some food from the groceries I bought each day. I chopped them up, steamed them, added oil and salt seasoning into the wok, and stir-fried them into a soft, mushy paste, and mixed them with the rice. The meals I prepared were no longer difficult for him to eat, and he no longer regarded eating as a chore. Their family was very moved when they saw that I was doing so much extra work and that I really cared for the elderly couple’s health.

Their three daughters, sons-in-law, and grandsons often came for a meal. The whole family got together, chatting and laughing, everything was so lively. The elderly couple was very happy and said to me: “They rarely came before. But since you’ve come, they come more often. You’ve worked very hard.”

I said, “As long as you’re happy, I am happy for what I’ve done.”

Their house had a small backyard, where some briquettes, used bottles, and old cardboard boxes were piled up. It hadn’t been cleaned for a long time and was very messy. I spent my free time after lunch tidying up the place. The yard was thoroughly cleaned and in good order. As soon as her daughter came back, she took her to the yard and said: “Look, I didn’t ask her to clean it. She took the initiative to do it, and did it so well.”

Her daughter said to me: “You’re so nice. I’ve read your [Dafa] books and know that you [practitioners] are all good people. My mother has a bad temper and doesn’t have a good relationship with us, but she talks to you a lot. She’s really improved. We can rest assured with you here. Thank you so much!”

“I never used to be like this,” I replied. “I’ve changed through practicing Dafa. My Master teaches us to be good people.” I told her about Dafa and she did the three withdrawals.

From Sounding Me Out to Trusting Me

During the first few days after arriving at her house, I was preparing meals in the kitchen, when the elderly man would quietly come to the kitchen to see what I was doing. When he saw that I was concentrating and busy cooking, he walked away and didn’t come back in.

Less than half a year after being there, the woman’s legs were healed and she was able to walk again. One day, when she came home from shopping, I took the bag of groceries from her and found a few yuan in there. When I gave them to her, she looked at me and said nothing. This happened a few times. There were other times, when I was cleaning their bedroom and found a few yuan under the bed. I gave them to her again. Only later, when we were talking, did I realize that each time I found the money, she had placed it there on purpose and was testing me to she how trustworthy I was.

There were times when the woman wronged me for some unknown reason. At the time, I looked at her without saying a word.

Later, she said she trusted me and treated me better. At mealtimes, she would ask me to sit next to her. A few times when I barely ate some expensive food, she would motion me to eat more.

Like a Family

I worked in their house for almost three years. During the Chinese New Year holidays, I would clean every room, the windows, and wash the curtains. Every year, the elderly couple would prepare gifts for the New Year. Each daughter got one, and I also received one, like a member of the family.

I also considered them as part of my family and bought gifts for the couple. When I planned to quit the job, they tried to keep me there, saying that if I left they would never find a good person like me. So, I stayed for a longer period of time.

After I eventually left, the elderly man, in a wheelchair, and his wife came to my home to see me several times, saying that they missed me.