Blind Bus Passenger
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."
Addendum -- Matthew 28:20 (NKJ) "... I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen
[ Author Unknown -- from Sheri ]
Inspirational Stories
SkyWriting.Net
All Rights Reserved.
|