Unseen Love . . .

Please read and be blessed by this as I was...

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 back-ground 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."