As tweeted by @Islamic Thinking
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital
room. One man was allowed to sit up on 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.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could
sit up in bed, he would pass the time by describing to this 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 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 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.
He had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and
called the hospital attendants to take his 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 real world outside. 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.”
The man laid back in his bed. His eyes welled up with tears
as he remembered his dear friend.
Remember: Sometimes to ease another’s pain and discomfort,
it lessens your own.
THE END.
No comments:
Post a Comment