(Minghui.org) I have been a caregiver since August 2019, working in a facility that provides short-term lodging to people with disabilities. I spent the first several months training to be a health aide, but I was still very new to the field. I was observant and humble when I first started my job.
I was very hardworking and was not afraid of filth. Many of my coworkers frequently complained and picked on each other. They would complain about their hours and took their complaints up with our supervisors. I always reminded myself to cultivate my speech.
When my manager asked me if I was satisfied with my hours, I replied, “Many of my coworkers need the extra hours—you can give mine to them.” My manager gave me a box of chocolates and a cake the day before Christmas and said that my coworkers had nominated me as the outstanding employee.
One of my coworkers called in sick one day, and I was asked to substitute for her. I worked three night shifts, and my manager gave me another box of chocolates. She was grateful that I was committed to the job and thanked me for taking over my coworker’s responsibilities.
When our area was affected by the pandemic (the CCP virus) in April 2022, my husband requested that our whole family quarantine at home. I emailed my manager and said that I needed to take 40 days of leave. I wrote to her, “If this will cause any inconvenience, I can forfeit my position and you can hire someone else.” My manager replied that she wouldn’t hire anyone else. I returned to work 40 days later.
I accompanied a young man from my care center to a movie one day. He bought a drink and a snack at the theater, and after the movie, he bought lunch and a drink. He spent almost all of the money his family had given him. His mother came to the care center a couple of days later and started to scream my name. I came out of the kitchen and she started to yell, blaming me for the fact that her son had spent all his money. I listened to her quietly, did not argue with her, and did not get angry. Instead, I felt quite happy because I knew this was an opportunity to upgrade my xinxing.
My coworker came over and helped out with the tense situation. She wanted to help me out and said that I had already apologized to my manager. The mother started to calm down and said, “She did not apologize to me yet.” I smiled and apologized to her and asked if there was anything else I might be able to do to help her. She said, “No.”
My coworkers started to talk about what had happened. They told me that I should not have apologized to her because she always complained. I told them that I could have done better.
My manager flew to England to stay with her mother when her father passed away in 2022. While my manager was away, our care center had to close down for a week because of COVID-19. Another manager on duty asked if I would be willing to clean and disinfect the building. I gladly agreed. When my manager returned to work a month later, she handed me a letter in front of all my coworkers. I opened it when I got home and found a letter of appreciation along with a gift card.
I was treated unjustly by a lot of my coworkers when I first started working as a caregiver. I did not complain and simply abided by the principles of a Falun Dafa cultivator. I did not fight over personal losses and gains and cultivated my speech. I was compassionate toward my coworkers and the patients. I always considered others, was responsible for my duties, and never complained. I was praised for my hard work.
I kindly corrected my coworker Lucy when she mixed up a patient’s belongings. She then handed a bone-in chicken to a patient with poor eyesight at mealtime. I kindly pointed it out. She sulked and said, “Can’t I just do one thing right?” I apologized to her; “I am sorry I upset you and made you uncomfortable. I am truly sorry.” She was no longer angry after I apologized.
When my manager wanted to change Lucy’s shifts, Lucy actually asked to work with me. Lucy sent me a text message when I was on leave to help with Shen Yun. She said, “I really miss you. I am very fortunate to be able to see Shen Yun with my son this year.”
Another coworker of mine, Jane, always secretly watched me when I first started the job. She was always on the phone with long personal calls instead of working. I did not complain and silently did most of the work. When we started to work night shifts, she opened her heart to me and cried as she told me about her life. I introduced Falun Dafa to her and gave her the link to the Falun Dafa website. After our long chats on the night shifts, Jane started to take on more responsibilities at work. I asked her why she felt the need to take on more work. She said she was remorseful for making me do everything in the past. She knew I was trustworthy, and she would often tell me her secrets. Another coworker told me that I was the only person who hadn’t complained about Jane.
Shen Yun’s tour ended in our area, and I deeply felt that Master arranged the best for everyone.
I have a close friend named Sarah. Both Sarah and her husband understand the truth about Falun Dafa. They support our truth-clarification activities and have taken petitions home for their friends and families to sign. Sarah and I always get together on our birthdays at a cafe for breakfast every year. This year I completely forgot about her birthday. I finally remembered it three months later. I felt very remorseful.
It just so happened that Shen Yun was touring our city in Australia. I decided to buy tickets for Sarah and me as a late birthday present. After purchasing two tickets, Sarah called me and said that, since it was the weekend of Mother’s Day, her daughter and mother wanted to see Shen Yun, too. I purchased two more tickets for them.
I took a week off from work to assist with Shen Yun backstage. It just so happened that there was an afternoon and evening show on the day that Sarah was supposed to come see Shen Yun. I called her and told her that I couldn’t pick her up because I had to help out with the afternoon show. Sarah told me that she did not want to drive by herself and that her husband and his daughter wanted to see Shen Yun, too. I purchased two more tickets for Sarah’s husband and her stepdaughter.
I told people about Shen Yun where I worked. One coworker, Annie, was interested and wanted to go to Shen Yun with her son. I booked two tickets for them and they saw Shen Yun on Mother’s Day. They took pictures at the theater and sent them to me. When Annie saw me at work the next day, she gave me a big hug and thanked me for helping her book such great seats. She enjoyed the performance and bought a Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance T-shirt.
Our care center hired a new employee last year in October. I briefly chatted with the new employee, Sammie, and learned that her son was learning Chinese. Her son was willing to skip all of his other activities so that he could learn Chinese better. Sammie has an MBA from a university in Shanghai. I introduced Falun Dafa to Sammie after she told me that she always had an upset stomach. I also taught her Falun Dafa’s five exercises during our free time. I gave her a Shen Yun desk calendar when it became available. Sammie told me that she had originally applied for a job at another company. She did not know how she ended up working at the care center. I told her perhaps it was predestined that she and I should meet. She left after two months, and I sent her the link to the Falun Dafa website.
I sent Sammie a link to purchase Shen Yun tickets when the company came to our city. Sammie told me that she had already bought tickets for the same day I was going to see the show. I met her at intermission and saw the many items that she had bought from the Shen Yun Shop. I also noticed that she had purchased a copy of Falun Gong. Sammie told me that she would abide by the teachings of Falun Dafa. The next day she texted me how much she’d enjoyed Shen Yun’s stories, dances, soloists, costumes, and orchestra. I could almost feel the excitement in her words.
Another coworker had to miss Shen Yun because she had to attend her son’s wedding. She said that she would go see Shen Yun perform next year.
I am grateful to Master for arranging opportunities for me while working at the care center. I will abide by Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and never ask for anything in return.
Thank you, Master!