Two men, gravely ill, shared a hospital room.
One could sit up on his bed for an hour each afternoon to help his lungs clear. His bed was positioned next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend his days flat on his back. The two patients talked for hours each day—about their wives, their families, their homes, their work, their time in the military, the places they had vacationed.
Every afternoon, when the man by the window could sit up, he spent the time describing everything he saw beyond the glass to his roommate. For that hour, the other man's world grew wider and richer, filled with the sights and colors of the outside world.
The room overlooked a park and a beautiful lake. Ducks and swans played in the water while children sailed their toy boats. Lovers strolled arm in arm among flowers of every color of the rainbow. Great trees dotted the landscape, and in the distance stood a magnificent city.
As the man by the window described each detail, his roommate closed his eyes and imagined the cheerful, colorful scene. One serene afternoon, the seated man described a festive parade marching below them. Though he could not hear the orchestra's music, the other man could see it in his mind's eye—his companion was so skillful a storyteller.
Days and weeks passed. One morning, the nurse came to tend to them and found that the man by the window had died in his sleep. Saddened, she called for someone to carry him out of the room.
When the moment seemed right, the other man asked to have his bed moved to the window. The nurse obliged. After making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, with great effort, the man raised himself on one elbow and turned toward the window to look outside at last. Finally he could see for himself. He looked out. All he saw was a wall.
Bewildered, he asked the nurse later why his poor companion had described such wonderful things. The nurse replied that the man had been blind—he couldn't have seen anything. She added, "Perhaps he wanted to give you courage."
(From "Alleluia-Arche"—March 2000)