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 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 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 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 world. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He
strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed only to find that
it faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his
deceased roommate to 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."

The moral of the story, there is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite
our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” -2 Corinthians 1:3,4.