 |
Nelly Favis-Villafuerte
Many of us are familiar with the words of one writer who said that "the greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their state of mind." The Holy Bible says it in another way: "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)
Sometime ago, I read a short story entitled "The Window." Whenever I feel sad, I refresh my mind with this story. The story lifts up my spirits and calms my mind.
I am sharing this short story with the readers of this column. Hopefully, this short story will be a great blessing to everyone who reads it.
"There were two seriously ill men who occupied the same hospital room. One was able to sit up for short periods to drain the fluid from his lungs, and his bed was next to the only window in the room. The other man had to spend all of his time flat on his back. Every day the patient by the window passed the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside. The man in the other bed began to live for those periods when his world was broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside."
"The man by the window would describe the nearby park and lake, giving colorful descriptions of the swans and ducks. He told of children sailing model boats as their parents watched nearby. He would tell of the young men and women walking arm in arm among the beautiful trees and flowers. He gave daily weather reports in picturesque detail. In short, he described a glorious view of the world from his hospital bed. The man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the scenes his friend described, seeing in his mind’s eye the pictures the man by the window painted with descriptive words."
"One morning the nurse found the lifeless body of the man by the window. He had died peacefully in his sleep. As soon as it was appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse complied with his request and made the change. Once he was in place, he raised himself up on one elbow and looked out the window. But instead of the beautiful lake and all the wonderful scenery his roommate had described, he discovered the window was facing a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate to describe such wonderful things outside his window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and couldn’t even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Have a joyful day!
