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 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 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."

Have a Blessed Day...Be PRAYERFUL and THANKFUL for all things!!!