This just seemed so beautiful I had to share
it.
Jeanne Lee-Rosner
PDF-Chicago
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same
hospital room. One man was
allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each
afternoon to help drain the
fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the
room's only window. The other
man had to spend all his time flat on his
back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and
families, their
homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service,
where they had
been on vacation.
And every afternoon when the man in
the bed by the window could sit up, he
would pass the time by describing to
his roommate all the things he could see
outside the window. The man in the
other bed began to live for those one-hour
periods where his world would be
broadened and enlivened by all the activity
and color of the world
outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans
played on the
water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers
walked arm in arm
amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old
trees
graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen
in the
distance.
As the man by the window described all this in
exquisite detail, the man on
the other side of the room would close his eyes
and imagine the picturesque
scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the
window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear
the band - he could see it in his mind's
eye as the gentleman by the window
portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One
morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to
find
the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in
his
sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take
the
body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked
if he could be moved
next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the
switch and after making
sure he was comfortable, she left him
alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his
first look
at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it
for himself.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the
bed. It faced a
blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have
compelled his deceased roommate who
had described such wonderful things
outside this window. The nurse responded
that the man was blind and could not
even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he
just wanted to encourage
you."
Epilogue . . . . There is tremendous happiness in making others
happy, despite
our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow but
happiness when shared,
is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all
of the
things you have that money can't buy.
"Today is a gift, that's
why it is called the present."
from the wilds of Idaho
City;
John P. Roberts