The Park Bench- Author Unknown

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.

He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals all worn, not enough rain, or to little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, “It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too. That’s why I picked it; here it’s for you.”

The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.” But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one.
“You’re welcome,” he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he’d had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight?

Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that’s mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose. And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
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I love this story because it reminds me, once again, of the innocence of young children, of their amazing ability to see life as something wonderful and new every day. It also reminded me of a story from my life. During my first few years of teaching, I lived and taught in a small town in Idaho. I rented a trailer from another teacher- a trailer surrounded by a cornfield. One of my students lived nearby and he enjoyed knowing that two of his teachers were neighbors. During those first few years of my career, I made very little money and so was eagerly awaiting my tax refund, which seemed to be taking forever to get to me. One day, I drove over to my mailbox on the other side of the cornfield only to find it crammed full of dead, wilted weeds. Being the former city girl that I was, my first thought was that someone had stolen my check and crammed my box full of a trashy substitute in order to thumb their nose at me. But then I noticed that the weeds had little wilted purple flowers on them. Looking around, I noticed how pretty these flowers were when healthy. The next day, I asked my student if he had left me a gift in my mailbox. Beaming, he asked how I liked the pretty flowers (I don’t think he had quite connected what the hot sun and a metal mailbox would do to them over the course of a day:) He was so proud of his thoughtful gift and I was incredibly happy that I had seen it for what it was intended to be and not what it had turned out to be!

I love the beauty of nature, it is something I can enjoy every day as I travel for my job. I am constantly reminded of the awesome power and love of our God through His gift of nature! “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4

Enjoy His gifts today and have a very blessed day!