Two Men

        

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."