Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson Read Free Book Online Page B

having more fun than I'd ever had in my life because I was one of the guys.
    I just wasn't very happy.
    I had strayed from the important and basic values in my life. To explain that statement, I have to go back to my mother again and tell you about a visit from Mary Thomas.

    W hen my mother was in the hospital to deliver me, she had her first contact with Seventh-day Adventists. Mary Thomas was visiting in the hospital and started talking to her about Jesus Christ. Mother listened politely but had little interest in what she had to say.
    Later, as I've already mentioned, Mother was so emotionally hurt that she checked herself into a mental hospital. At one point, she seriously considered committing suicide by saving up her daily medication and taking all the pills at once. Then one afternoon a woman visited my mother in the hospital. She had met the woman once before—Mary Thomas.
    This quiet but zealous woman began talking to her about God. That in itself was nothing new. From the time she was a little girl in Tennessee, Mother had heard about God. Yet Mary Thomas approached religion differently. She didn't try to force anything on Mother or tell her how sinful she was. Instead, Mary Thomas simply expressed her own beliefs and paused occasionally to read verses from the Bible that explained the basis for her faith.
    More important than her teaching, Mary genuinely cared about Mother. And right then Mother needed someone to care.
    Even before the divorce, Mother was a desperate woman with two young kids and no idea how to take care of them if things didn't work out. She was ostracized by many who felt she was unconventional. Then along came Mary Thomas with what seemed like a single ray of hope. “There is another source of strength, Sonya,” the visitor said. “And this strength can be yours.”
    Those were exactly the words she needed as a stabilizing force in her life. Mother finally understood that she wasn't all alone in the world.
    Over a period of weeks, Mary went over the teachings of her church, and Mother slowly came to believe in a loving God who expresses that love through Jesus Christ.
    Day after day Mary Thomas talked patiently with Mother, answering questions, and listening to anything she wanted to say.
    Mother's third-grade education prevented her from reading most of the Bible passages, but her visitor didn't give up. She stayed at it, reading everything aloud. And through that woman's influence my mother began to study and read for herself.
    Even though Mother could barely read, once she decided to learn, through hours of practice she taught herself to read well. Mother started to read the Bible, often sounding out the words, sometimes still not understanding; but she persisted. That was her determination at work. Eventually she was able to read relatively sophisticated material.
    Aunt Jean and Uncle William, with whom we stayed after my parents' divorce, had become Adventists in Boston. With their encouragement, it wasn't long until Mother grew stronger in her beliefs. Never one to go into anything half-heartedly, she immediately became active and has remained a devout church member. And from the time of her own conversion, she started taking Curtis and me to church with her. The Adventist denomination is the only spiritual home I've ever known.
    When I was 12 and more mature, I realized that although I'd been emotionally touched at age 8 and even had been baptized, I hadn't understood exactly what being a Christian meant.
    By the time I was 12, we had moved and were attending the Sharon Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inkster. After days of thinking about the matter, I spoke with Pastor Smith. “Although I've been baptized,” I said, “I didn't really grasp the significance of what I was doing.”
    “You do understand now?”
    “Oh, yes, I'm 12 now,” I said, “and I believe in Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus was 12 when His parents first took Him to the temple in Jerusalem. So I'd like to be