Peaceful Fight : Inspirational
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21/10/01 My friend Anthony Rushton sent me this little piece which he uses in his meditation work.
THE WINDOW
A great note for all to read. It will take just 37 seconds to read this
and change your thinking.
Two men, both seriously ill, 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 for hours
on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs,
their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would
pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see
outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour
periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity
and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played
on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked
arm in arm amidst flowers of every color 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 the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his
mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive
words. Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to
find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully
in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take
the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved
next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making
sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped
himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced
a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate
who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded
that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite
our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when
shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things
you have that money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called
the present." The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good
luck to everyone who passes it on. Just forward it to your friends to whom
you wish good luck.
20/03/02 I recieved this message from a close friend and I loved her more for sending it (and I pointed this out when I replied) . It's one of those random messages that eventually take over the planet and jam up the E-mail system and I've left it in its original format. I felt touched by it (and my friend choosing to send it to me made my day !). We all have apart to play in the World and should take every opportunity to do so. Maybe try it on your own circle of friends (but be aware if you send it and don't get a reply it's a real downer and changes how you see people!)
Subject: Fw: READ THIS carefully and we will see if
you send it back .
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 09:39:34 -0000
> > One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from
my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like
he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone
bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I
had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends
tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking,
I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at
him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed
in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about
ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around
looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him
his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get
lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was
a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned
out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung
out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and
I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I
asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said
yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I
liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came,
and there
was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy,
you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books
everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next
four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began
to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke.
I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a
problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a
football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him
all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation
day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found
himself during high
school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates
than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today
was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech.
So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!"
He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.
"Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat,
and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make
it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings,
maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that
being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going
to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as
he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself
over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his
Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked
hard at me and gave me a little smile "Thankfully, I was saved. My
friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through
the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.
Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the
power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's
life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to
impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.
You now have two choices, you can: 1) Pass this on to your friends or 2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart. As you can see, I took choice number 1. "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." There is no beginning or end..Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.