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." The origin of this storyr is
unknown, but it brings a blessing to everyone who passes it on.
