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Inspirational
Stories
The
Lucky Lady
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 settled in, placed her briefcase
on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.
It had been a year since Susan, 34, 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. And all she had to cling
to was her husband, Mark.
Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved
Susan with all 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.
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 the arrangement wasn't working.
Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted
to himself. But she was still so fragile, so angry how would
she react?
Just as he 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 am 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.
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, and
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 the fare to exit the bus, the
driver said, "Boy, I sure do 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 good
to be taken care of and protected like you are."
Susan had no idea what the driver was talking
about, and again asked, "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 as
you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely
and he watches 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."
- Author Unknown
The Cleaning Lady
During my second month of nursing school,
our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last
one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans
the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had
seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired
and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in
my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended,
one student asked if the last question would count toward
our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor.
"In your careers you will meet many people. All are
significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if
all you do is smile and say 'Hello'."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned
her name was Dorothy.
- Author Unknown
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Cosmos
of Happiness
