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's 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 - 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
had 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
responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you
are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and
asked again, "What do you mean?" 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.
Chaplin
Jerry Vintinner
THE RICHNESS OF
THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE WOULD LOSE SOMETHING OF REWARDING JOY IF THERE WERE NO
LIMITATIONS TO OVERCOME
~ HELEN
KELLER ~
Music playing
is "I'LL BE" by "REBA
MCINTYRE"
