Seeing with the Heart

Seeing with the Heart--


I don't remember where I read this story.  I want to share it with you.

Two men shared a hospital room.  As with all hospital rooms, one bed is located close to the window and the other close to the door.  There is the usual curtain that separates the beds to allow for a bit of privacy.

One day the man in the bed by the door asked the man by the window to tell him what he saw when he looked out the window.  There was a bit of hostility in his voice as he desired that bed by the window for himself.

His room mate began to share in detail what he saw out the window.  He told about the flowers that were in full bloom.  Reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, purples all were blooming their little hearts out.  He said the flower beds lined the sidewalk that wound its way to the front door of the hospital.

He shared about the fountain that was centered in the front of the hospital.  The fountain had a short ledge around it.  People were sitting on the ledge drinking coffee and talking.  Water from the fountain spilled over into a small basin.  There were a few children who were dangling their feet into the water.

People were making their way to the door.  Some were in hospital garb.  Others were in professional clothes.  Still others were there to visit family and friends who might be patients.  He described a young couple pushing a child in a stroller.  They were taking such good care of their child.  It was obvious to him how much they loved one another.

The sky that day was a beautiful shade of blue.  A few clouds were slowly making their way across the sky.  He said the clouds would soon be out of his vision.  He also spoke about the vines that climbed on the hospital walls.  He said they were so green and vibrant.  They gave the hospital the look of grace.

The man in the bed by the door listened intently.  He was trying to see what the man by the window was sharing.  He had been in the hospital quite awhile and was so lonely.  No one had been to see him.

Night fell.  Lights were turned out so that patients could sleep.  When morning arrived, the man by the door was shocked to see that his room mate had died during the night.  He was devastated.  While they had not known one another well, they had shared a bit of their life.  He felt such a sense of loss.

The hospital workers came to place clean linens on the bed and get it ready for the next patient.  And then the thought--maybe he could move to the bed by the window.  He could look out and see all the things he had been told about.  He requested to be moved.  The request was granted.

All settled into his new spot, he turned toward the window.   What he saw stunned him.  There were no flowers, shrubs, sidewalks, fountains, people.  There was a blank brick wall.  That was all.

What does this story say to you?