The
Blind Bus Passenger
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.
The Blind Bus
Passenger (cont.)
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.
The Blind Bus Passenger (cont.)
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 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."
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Blind Bus Passenger
