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-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 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 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 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, and asked again, "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 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 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.
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!