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The Holy Week is a season for soul-searching, for
reflection, for contemplation, for silently figuring out if we have
lived a life worthy of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the
cross.
This week, let us leave politics
behind momentarily as I would like to share with you a touching
story that I hope would help you in your own contemplation and
perhaps make you a better person.
The story is entitled, “True
Vision.” The author of this short essay is unknown. This was
e-mailed to me by my sister from Los Angeles, California, with the
request that I share it with others. I do not know if this story is
true or apocryphal. But I would appreciate it if you can also share
this story with your friends or relatives.
Here we go:
Two men, both seriously ill,
occupied the same hospital room. One man is 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 military service, where they spend their 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 on the other bed began to
live for those one-hour periods where his world is broadened and
enlivened by all the activities and the 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 could 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 described it with
colorful 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
attendant 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 said to himself, he would have the joy of seeing it for
himself. He strained slowly to look out the window. It faced a blank
wall.
The man asked the nurse what
could have compelled the 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 the things that you have that
money can’t buy. “Today is a gift from God, that’s why it is
called the present.” (End of story)
For my Easter Sunday wish for my
readers, here’s the famous prayer by a French monk: “Lord, give
me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the
courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the
difference.” Advance Happy Easter to everyone.
malinaolito@yahoo.com
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