Blindly Go

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's 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! Be

blessed in this thought: "God Loves You - even when you are not looking."

Blindly Go)

Written By: Chaplain Jerry Vintinner