TWO MEN IN A HOSPITAL
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, and where they had been on vacation.
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 of 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 and painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to
take his first look at the worldoutside. 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.”
Everlasting in Christ,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry
To read more Inspirational stories and poems, feel free to visit
the website.
