The Leslie Doctor Story "A Journey from Shame
to Acceptance"
Tragedy struck early in our home. When I was only 5 years old, my dad had a fatal heart attack, the day after my mother’s birthday. Then 3 months later my mom asked a very nice young Catholic woman named Mary Ann to come and live with us for a while to help out with us kids. Her mother had been our babysitter. Mary Ann was very loving to us. She was young, full of life, and brought laughter into our household. Often I would come into her room to talk, play and listen to music.
One day when I was 5 years old, Mary Ann, who was a teacher at a Catholic school, took me to her church sanctuary. I saw her kneel down, and as impressionable 5-year-olds are, I also knelt down. As I got up, I had this strong impression on my mind …that God really existed and that He also had a Son – Jesus. We then left the church and went to my Jewish grandparents’ home for dinner.
Before we sat around the table, I blurted out my latest discovery. I said, "Guess what? I just knelt down to God and to Jesus!" Obviously as a naive and innocent child, I didn’t understand that saying the name of Jesus was forbidden in a Jewish home. I don’t remember their remarks, but I am sure, after recovering from their initial shock, they quickly changed the subject....
