G. W. Target tells the story of two seriously
ill men who occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an
hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from
his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only
window. The other man had to spend all his time
flat on his back.
The men talked hours on end. They spoke
of wives, families, home, jobs and many other
things they had experienced in life. Every
afternoon the man in the bed by the window
would describe to his roommate all the things
he could see outside. The man in the other bed
looked forward to these times for his world to be
expanded by the description of the activity and
life outside the hospital room.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely
lake, the man said. Ducks and swans played on
the water while children sailed their model boats.
Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every
color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the
landscape and a fine view of the city skyline
could be seen in the distance. As the man by the
window described all this in exquisite detail, the
man on the other side of the room would close
his eyes and imagine each picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon as the man by the
window described a parade passing by, an
unexpected, horrible thought entered the other
man’s mind: “Why should he have all the
pleasure of seeing everything while I never
get to see anything?” It didn’t seem fair. This
thought festered and grew into resentment and
envy until it utterly controlled his life. He should
be lying by that window.
The Pinecone
|
June 2014
• 9 •
f r om Don J oh n s on , K i r b y P i n e s Chap l a i n
Chaplain’s COrner
The Magic Window
J une Vesper
Serv ices
June 5th
Reverend Ford Williams Jr.
Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian
June 12th
Reverend Dennis Neenan
Director of Pastoral Care & Education
Wesley Senior Ministries
June 19th
Reverend Mark Matheny
Elder United Methodist Churches
Serving Mason & Braden
June 26th
Reverend Les Helton
Collierville First Baptist
Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling,
the man by the window began to cough. He
was choking on the fluid in his lungs and was
frantically reaching for the button to call for help,
but could not find it. The other man watched and
listened but did nothing. Within five minutes the
coughing and choking stopped, along with the
sound of breathing. Then there was only silence.
The following morning as the day nurse
brought water for their baths, she found the
lifeless body of the man by the window. After
the hospital attendants took it away, as soon as
it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he
could be moved next to the window. Happy to
make the switch, the nurse made sure the man
was comfortable and then left.
Slowly, painfully, the man propped himself
up on one elbow to take his first look out the
window. He would at last be able to see for
himself.
Devastation and disappointment followed.
As he looked out the window all he saw was a
blank brick wall.
What does this story tell us?
There may come a time when our activities
are limited. Circumstances and health can
drastically change our routine.
Reality does not have to dominate our life.
Our imagination can soar to the highest heaven.
We can replace a blank wall with scenes of
powerful beauty and joy. We can, as the song
says, “accentuate the positive, eliminate the
negative, latch on to the affirmative, but don’t
mess with mister in between.” (Johnny Mercer/
Harold Arlen, 1944)
We can enrich others’ lives by sharing our
dreams and visions. What we see, if only in
mind and heart, can lift someone else who might
be worse off than we.
We should avoid questioning our place and
circumstance, thinking we have been neglected
or pushed aside.
We should never think we can take the place
another might hold.
We should not entertain negative thoughts.
They can easily grow till they finally control us.
We should never let envy and jealously turn
us into a calloused person. In the right place our
inaction can become deadly.
Happiness cannot be found from the outside,
but within.
Even if we get what we desperately desire it
will never be all we had hoped for.
Even when we are alone and lonely the Lord
is always with us. He promised never to leave us
or forsake us.
Let’s allow others to enrich our lives as only
they can do. Let’s learn to be content with where
we are and with what we have. Let’s look for
insight and vision that will look beyond the
blank wall. Let’s discover a world that others
may not see but will bring them and us joy when
we share.
Till next time,
Don Johnson, Kirby Pines Chaplain
