They spoke of their wives and families, their homes,
their jobs, their involvement in the military service,
even 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 in similar fashion.
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 to describe
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.
Author unknown
