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's
settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her
cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan 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. '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. All
she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with
all his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her
sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain
the strength she needed to become independent again.

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 but he knew what had to be done. He
promised Susan that each day he would ride the bus with her
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 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. 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. 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. 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? "Why do 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, "What do you mean?"

The driver said, "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 see him, she had always felt Mark's
presence. She was blessed, so blessed, 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. "You don't love a woman because she
is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her..."