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, thirty-four, 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.
Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this
terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on
everyone
around her.
"How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart
knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or
prayed,
she knew the painful truth that her sight was never going to return.
A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just
getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion.
And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.
Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of 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. Mark's military background had
trained
him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the
most difficult battle he would ever face. 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 that this arrangement wasn't working -
it was hectic and costly. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus
again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to
her
made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she
react?
Just as Mark 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'm 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. He made her laugh, even on those
not-so-
good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase.
Each
morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back
to
his office. Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting
than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before
Susan
would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the
Susan
he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any
challenge and who would never, ever quit.
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,
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 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 for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I
sure
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 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 when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross
the
street safely and he watches you 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."
Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For, although she
couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She
was
lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a
gift she didn't need to see to believe -- the gift of love that can
bring
light where there had been darkness.
God watches over us in just the same way. We may not know He is
present. We may not be able to see His face, but He is there
nonetheless.
Be blessed in this thought: "God Loves You -- even when you are not
looking."
