The month of
August always made me felt loved and blessed. Maybe, it's because of the fact that out of a year, 3/4 of it had passed and soon, it be Christmas soon. The number
8 also gives people a very happy and auspicious feeling; a feeling that we gonna be lucky and fortunate throughout the month.
The season of
GIVING & LOVING -
CHRISTMAS!!!
Love definitely revolves around this last quarter of the year.
Special Memories, Special Moments, Special Pressies, Special Thoughts as well as the Special One.
Recently, got hooked up on reading e-stories.
My little beloved Ah Sa gave me a link for e-books and I was so 'glued' to it. Little wonderful and meaningful stories of
LOVE... they always makes me think.
Sharing this short story with you guys. I am glad that I can see and whenever I m awake in the morning, I can see the special one beside me.
At times, startling me with his motor snores yet without them, I guess, I really couldn't sleep. hehe
Here the story goes .... ...
A way of Love
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. The
n she's settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.
It had been a year since Susan 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.
'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, her sight was
never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit.
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 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 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 but he knew what had to be done.
He promised Susan that each day he would ride the bus with her 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 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. 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. 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 had never felt better.
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? "Why do you envy me?" The driver responded,
"It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are."
Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about,
"What do you mean?" The driver said, "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 see him,
she had always felt Mark's presence. She was blessed,
so blessed, 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.
Real LOVE is when you find yourself facing the toughest storm, yet you are still holding hands when you come out.
Cheers (.'')
