man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help

drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only

window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked

for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their

jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on

vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window

could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things

he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live

for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by

all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans

played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers

walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees

graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the

distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the

man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the

picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing

by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in

his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with

descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths

only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died

peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants

to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be

moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch,

and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly,

painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the

world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He

strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank

wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased

roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The

nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue...

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our

own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is

doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that

money can't buy.