The Land of Shadows and Silent Thoughts

Have you ever tripped over something because you did not know it was there? Has anyone ever asked you to look for a certain bird in a tree, and you could not see it, yet it was there? Has anyone ever asked you if you heard something, and your answer was “No”, yet it was something?
         
A proud father holds his newborn son for the first time, but he has no idea of what he looks like. At the same time, in another town, a small car is parked on a set of railroad tracks. Within the car sits a very confused young lady staring at a road map and waiting for her yet unlived life to be taken away in the blink of an eye by a fast and powerful train which she cannot hear. The train’s conductor blows the train’s whistle furiously and repeatedly, but the girl has no clue of what is about to take place. I wonder what it is like to be born blind or deaf. If I had been born blind or deaf, I believe I would be very confused, curious, and most of all scared.
         
A small boy sits in his bedroom and gazes out his window into a land of shadows. He hears the crack of lightning accompanied by a loud clap of thunder which echoes throughout the eternal skies. Hearing the thunder and lightning is all he is capable of because his eyes will take him nowhere. He hears the pitter patter of rain drops as they dance on the rooftop above. Even though he has no concept of what a raindrop or even a bright flash of lightning looks like, he continues to sit by his window and listen to the fascinating sounds of the storm. As he sits and listens to the storm, the electric goes out all over town, but he does not even notice nor does he care. On the gravel road that runs in front of his house, a car splashes through a few mud puddles as it passes through. The boy enjoys the sound of the water as it leaps out of its domain and onto the road. The splashing sensation puts a smile across the boy’s face every time he hears it. Rumbles of thunder continue on throughout the night.
         
As the sun comes up the next morning, the skies are clear and return to its naturally beautiful bright blue color. The birds are playing “musical trees” as they fly from tree to tree. However, the little boy cannot see the pretty sky or the playful birds, yet he still observes many things. The sound of a woodpecker pecking away at a nearby utility pole catches the boy’s attention as he sits on the warm grass and listens. Some birds in a maple tree begin to serenade him as he soaks up the warmth of the sun. Now he hears his dog swishing through a grown-up field as he makes his way towards the boy. It’s Captain, a well fed German Shepard that keeps the boy entertained.  Captain is not just an entertainer though; he is also the boy’s Seeing Eye dog as well as his best friend. He places his hands on the dog’s face and feels every little structure and detail he can possibly find. Then he begins to rub up and down on the dog’s soft and warm back. Captain shows his gratitude and friendship by licking the boy’s face. As the boy starts to laugh, a car drives by and blows the horn. All the boy can do is wave and wonder. Oh how he wishes his eyes were capable of seeing the car and its driver.
         
All of a sudden, a gun is fired in the woods nearby the boy’s house. This frightens the boy and causes him to jump up. The gunshot sounds as if a thousand cannons are being fired inside his ears. He puts his hands over top of his ears and sprints into the house. As he cries out yelling, “Mommy, mommy, stop it, stop the ringing mommy,” the mother knows she can’t stop it and begins to cry herself. Surrounding him like a mother hawk does her young; she hugs him and tries to calm him down. Her love and sorrow for her son is overwhelming. She would make any sacrifice in the world if it meant her little boy could see-- even if it was only for a day or even an hour. She wishes he could experience the things she was fortunate enough to experience as a child. She often asks herself why this had to happen to her little boy.

Sometimes our human nature selfishly considers abilities such as seeing and hearing as a form of common sense or simple logic. We do not think about it; we just wake up every morning and it is simply there. What we often take for granted is others’ misfortune. So the next time you stare at a rainbow or listen to your favorite song, remember those who are not as lucky as you and me, and thank the good Lord for allowing you to have such wondrous abilities. We may live out our entire lives not realizing how fortunate we are to not have to live in a land of shadows or a place where everyone around us is silenced and not one thought is heard.