Subject: : A Touching Story

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One 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 from his bed.

His roommate began to live for those one-hour periods where his world
would be broadened and livened 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
beautiful gardens that stretched out everywhere the eye could see.

So 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. "Today is a
gift, that's why it is called the present."