From the ears ... To the heart..

"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was nestled
in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she
gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window.
The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby's hearing was
perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred.

When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's
arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of
heartbreaks.

He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy ... called me a freak."

He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow
students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a
gift, a talent for literature and music. "But you might mingle with other
young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

The boy's father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be
done? "I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be
procured," the doctor decided.

Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for
a young man. Two years went by.

Then, "You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who
will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret," said the father. The
operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents
blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.
Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. "But I must know!" He
urged his father, "Who gave so much for me? I
could never do enough for him." "I do not believe you could," said the
father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know ... not yet."

The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come ... one of the
darkest days that a son must endure. He stood with his father over his
mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and
raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the mother -- had no
outer ears.

"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," he whispered
gently, "and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?" Real
beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure
lies not in what that can be seen, but what that cannot be seen. Real love
lies not in what is done and known, but in what that is done but not known.

The secret of love if revealed, will never remain sweet forever.

Encouragement can come from anywhere...

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.
And 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 moments
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'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 world
outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it
for himself.
He strained a slow turn to look out of 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."


Even the blind know the value of the colors ...
Even the deaf know the value of the sounds...
And even the dumb know the value of words...

If only we could understand, there was no need to express it...
but what is required is.. a patient heart, a beautiful soul and a
little time out of our lives...