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Maybe we should all be grateful for who and what we have, especially

of those that give of themselves to us. Joanne

STORY TO MAKE US THINK > >

> > 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 situp, 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 when 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 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. Then, unexpectedly, a

sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the other man alone

experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself

never got to see anything? It didn't seem fair. At first thought the

man felt ashamed.

> > But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his

envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to

brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that

window-that thought, and only that thought, now controlled his life. >

> > Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the

window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The

other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the

window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across

the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have

brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes, the coughing

and choking stopped, and along with that, the sound of breathing.

Now there was only silence-deathly silence. The following morning the

day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the

lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called

the hospital attendants to take it 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 all 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. .

.. .

> > You can interpret the story in any way you like. But one moral

stands out: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy,

despite our 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's called the present. "

==

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to

change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference