Blind (Inspirational)

[Guest guest]

A very very beautiful and touching story..

 

Blind

 

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive

young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps.

She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the

seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty.

Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane

against her leg. It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind.

 

Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and

she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and

self-pity.

Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this

terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone

around her.

"How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart

knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed,

she knew the painful truth that her sight was never going to return.

A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just

getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion.

And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

 

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his

heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair

and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she

needed to become independent again. Mark's military background had trained

him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the

most difficult battle he would ever face. Finally, Susan felt ready to

return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus,

but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark

volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at

opposite ends of the city.

 

At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect

his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest

task.

Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn't working -

it was hectic and costly. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus

again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her

made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?

 

Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking

the bus again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to

know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart broke

to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that

each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as

it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened.

For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to

and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses,

specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her

new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch

out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not-so-

good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase. Each

morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back to

his office. Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting

than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan

would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the Susan

he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any

challenge and who would never, ever quit.

 

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her

own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around

Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend.

Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his

love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate

ways.

 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went

perfectly, and Susan never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to

work all by herself! On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual.

As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure

envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not.

After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just

to find the courage to live for the past year?

 

Curious, she asked the driver,"Why do you say that you envy me?"

 

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a

fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the

corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the

street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then

he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are

one lucky lady."

 

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For, although she

couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was

lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a

gift she didn't need to see to believe -- the gift of love that can bring

light where there had been darkness.

 

God watches over us in just the same way. We may not know He is

present. We may not be able to see His face, but He is there nonetheless.

Be blessed in this thought: "God Loves You -- even when you are not looking."

 

Courtesy of PravsJ

 

Sairam ,

Swetha

[Guest guest]

You last line took the cake -

"God Loves You -- even when you are not looking."

Many thanks for your inspirational stories.

Sai Ram - Be Happy

JP

~~~~~~~~~~~~

SaiSwetha <saiswetha2001 > wrote:

A very very beautiful and touching story...

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