Encouragement

Today, I visited a friend at MD Anderson. My visit reminded me of a story I read years ago called the Hospital Window. Two elderly men, both seriously ill, and sharing a hospital room talk for hours on end about life. The man by the window sits up every afternoon and describes in exquisite detail life outside the window - park, lake, children playing, lovers walking, and the grace of the city skyline. The man by the window dies and the other man is moved by the window. He strains as he sits up anxious to see life outside, but finds a brick wall. He turns to the nurse, "Why did my roommate lie?”, and the nurse responds, “He was blind; he wanted to encourage you”. Encouragement doesn’t take sight, but does takes vision, faith, and our belief in the goodness of life and connections to others. Become an encourager!