A Kind and Compassionate Daughter-in-Law

(Minghui.org) My mother-in-law passed away at the age of 91 in 2015. Before she died, she held my hand and said: “I've really benefited from knowing you.” When I asked her why, she replied: “Because of you, I know that Falun Dafa is good.” She once told me that she was not afraid of death, but was afraid of where she would go. So, as she held my hand, I asked her if she had any fear. She said: “No. Master is with me now.”

In 2008, my mother-in-law had a stroke and was no longer able to take care of herself. My husband and I decided to let her live with us. We gave her the largest room, which was sunny and cheerful, and my husband and I moved into our son's small bedroom. Our son slept in the living room.

As soon as she arrived, I helped her take a bath and gently washed her. She murmured that no one helped her bathe before. I said: “Mom, don't worry. We'll treat you well. I practice Falun Dafa. Our teacher tells us to have compassion for others. We will treat you well.” She smiled with relief.

This was more easily said than done. Every night, we kept our bedroom door open in case my mother-in-law needed us. Sometimes she called several times a night. One night my husband complained: “Won't you let us sleep? We have to go to work in the morning. Do you think we are retired?”

My husband was not in good health and needed his sleep, so I took care of his mother. I knew my husband was worried that I would not get enough sleep. I told him not to worry; his mother could not sleep soundly because she was sick.

She loved to listen to the recordings of Master's Fa teachings. Every day before I left for work, she reminded me to play them, and said that she felt relaxed and happy while listening. She said Master explains why people should be good and why they shouldn't do bad things.

Gradually, she was able to feed herself. Later she could use the bathroom, wash her face, brush her teeth and comb her hair. We all knew that Master was helping her. Otherwise, how could a woman over 80 recover so quickly from a stroke?

Every morning, besides making breakfast, I needed to tidy up the apartment, help my mother-in-law wash and dress, change her diaper, and transfer her to the wheelchair. Sometimes, when I didn't have time to feed her, I prepared her breakfast and let her eat by herself. My husband helped as soon as he returned from morning exercises.

Once, during a chat with my mother-in-law, she said: “I didn't want to come here at the beginning because I watched a program which slandered Falun Dafa on TV.” I asked her if she regretted coming. She exclaimed: “No. Master teaches people to be good. You've treated me so well, I feel blessed.”

I told her that the propaganda on TV was false. She suddenly understood: “No wonder. It was all a hoax fabricated by the Chinese Communist Party!”

However, sometimes I felt having to take care of her was unfair. My mother-in-law had eight children, and the New Year festival at her home was always very lively. Since there were only the four of us, our home was quiet. She missed her other children and every New Year she would lose her temper, and complain that no one cared about her. One year, she even turned over the dinning table. I felt wronged!

Master said,

“For us cultivators conflicts come up suddenly. So what should we do? If you always keep a compassionate heart, and a peaceful state of mind, when you run into problems you’ll handle them well because it will give you space as a buffer. If you are always compassionate and friendly to others, if you always consider other people when you do things, and whenever you have issues with other people you first think about whether they can take it or whether it will cause them harm, then you won’t have any problem. So, when you cultivate you should follow high and even higher standards.” (The Fourth Talk in Zhuan Falun)

When I remembered Master's Fa teaching, I stopped feeling wronged.

My husband saw how well I treated his mother and told everyone: “I have eight siblings. None of us is as good as my wife. Not one of them offered to help her after her stroke.” All of our neighbors and friends said that I was a kind and filial daughter-in-law.