By a practitioner in the U.S.

(Clearwisdom.net) Tonight, at our family's Christmas dinner, fourteen children and adults were gathered around the table. As we finished the main course, my aunt asked each of us to share something special that each of us had experienced or discovered this year. She asked me to go first, which stirred my attachment to fear of public speaking, but which I wanted to overcome. I was thinking that I wanted to tell everyone how important it is to be a good person, but another part of me was eager to be done and get it over with. I also didn't want to talk about Falun Dafa directly since almost everyone at the table knew I practiced it and I had been told in the past that I was too excited by it. However, I did want to support Falun Dafa for the sakes of the three New Yorkers at the table who didn't know about my practicing, since I was sure they had seen our truth clarification materials in Manhattan.

I said that the twenty-first year of my life was the happiest one yet, because many things came together -- romantically, educationally, spiritually. I knew some people would know what I meant by each of those three things. I also kept thinking in my mind, I wish I could speak about the beauty of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance.

As we continued around the table, I sent righteous thoughts to maintain a peaceful environment, especially when I noticed that some sadness and doubts were rising up in me. Everyone after me spoke much longer than I had, and I felt as though I could have done a better job with my statement. I wish I could speak about the beauty of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance.

Just before dessert, my aunt pressed everyone to let my brother speak, who is younger than me by two years. He gave a beautiful, heartfelt speech about how he learned this year at college that we should not be afraid to open our minds to new ideas and ways of life. Every word was spoken from his heart, and I felt that everyone was listening deeply to him. Just when I was thinking about how much better an ordinary person had done than I had, at the very end of his speech, he said, "I want everyone to know that this very idea stems from my sister," and gesturing to me, he said "this is how I looked at what she got out of Falun Gong this year." Tears immediately started running down my face. I couldn't believe that a non-practitioner was saying exactly what I had wanted to say to everyone. The room was silent and I only watched his face, aglow with candlelight. I felt as though blessings were silently falling on everyone at the table as his words sunk in. The room was very still and the candles were shining brightly. My brother had tears in his eyes, and was looking at me, with almost a surprised look on his face, as though he didn't know where those words had come from. "You know," he continued, "when she introduced it to me, my Dad said to keep an open mind and get what I could out of it."

At this point many tears were falling around the table. My mother said, "Why are we all crying?" No one answered. In my mind, I sent stronger righteous thoughts, and imagined everyone believing in the goodness of Falun Dafa. It was truly a beautiful moment for the family, and I felt Teacher's presence bestowing this precious grace upon all of us on Christmas night.

Posting date: 12/31/2004
Original article date: 12/30/2004
Category: Cultivation in Persecution

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