appreciation
I thank my friend Anthony for inspiring this:
Imagine being born to a world of darkness. I don't mean the kind of darkness you experience when you close your eyes. That is incomplete darkness because you still see light through your eyelids. I don't mean the kind of darkness you experience when first laying down to sleep at night. Eventually, your eyes adjust, and you see quite well. I mean the kind of darkness that penetrates your soul. The dark that is so dark that you hardly know up from down. I was born to such a world.
I remember first hearing words like red or brown or blue. My grandma came into our house after it had been raining, and she told my parents, "Oh how blue and beautiful the sky is after a nice rain." Before, I didn't know what she was referring to. Things like color and visible beauty were nonexistent in my dark world.
I was ridiculed all my life because of this darkness. Was it my fault that I couldn't see? Was it the fault of my parents? I often had people tell me that I couldn't see because of the bad things my parents had done. A load of bollucks. All my life the "holy ones" would tell me this. However, one Man did not blame me or my parents.
I was sitting in my spot. I call it my spot because I would get there early every morning and begin begging for money, food, shelter, or anything I could get. You see, for our society, being blind was equal to not being human. I couldn't work because I was inadequate. Furthermore, my blindess was due to sin--or so people told me. People were afraid my "sins" would rub off on them. Thus, I couldn't pay for a home or food. Anyway, I was in my spot when I heard a group of people walking toward me. I can always tell when it is the "holy ones" simply by how the walk. However, Someone new was with them. His feet touched the ground with more grace, with lighter feet, than the others.
The same bollucks started. Yet, it was different this time. I mean, it started the same: "Who sinned this man or his parents?" However, the reply was different.
The light footed man didn't condemn me or my parents. Instead, He came toward me, and He whispered, "This may sound crazy, but trust Me." I heard Him spit at my feet, and the next thing I knew He was rubbing mud, which He had made with His spit, on my eyes. I almost flipped my lid when this happened. Who does this Guy think He is rubbing mud on the poor blind man's eyes. Come on! He noticed my frustration and again whispered, "This may sound crazy, but trust Me." Then, He said aloud to me, "Go. Wash in the Pool of Sent."
"What?" I thought to myself. You want me to do what? Then, I remembered His man's words, and I thought I would play along. I thought for sure He was using me to get at those holy ones. I went to Sent, threw some water on my face, and washed the mud off. Then, my life changed. I stood up from the pool and noticed a bright light coming through my eyelids. I had never experienced such a thing. My eyelids slowly rolled back off my eyes. The light burned my eyes for a bit, but I saw some figures. Then, everything became much more clear. A boy was playing in the street with his dog. Trees with green leaves were all around. A bug fluttered past me. I later found out these are called butterflies. They worry me because they flutter about so haphazardly, but they are beautiful nonetheless. The field across from the pond was covered in yellow and red flowers, as far as the eye could see. Such vibrant colors. So much life.
I couldn't believe what was happening. This Man made me see. I started crying. No, weeping. I started laughing. I was weeping and laughing. This was the greatest day of my life. The beauty surpassed what I had imagined all my life. I could see. I ran to everyone I saw, declaring, "I can see! I can see! I once was blind. But now I see!"
I saw the Man later that day. The last thing He said has kept me puzzled ever since: "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." I don't know what to do with that because I was blind, but He made me see. Now I see, but does that mean I am blind? I don't know what exactly what He meant. I do know that it just stopped raining. The sun is shining, and my grandma was right. The sky is blue. A beautiful, beautiful blue. peace
Imagine being born to a world of darkness. I don't mean the kind of darkness you experience when you close your eyes. That is incomplete darkness because you still see light through your eyelids. I don't mean the kind of darkness you experience when first laying down to sleep at night. Eventually, your eyes adjust, and you see quite well. I mean the kind of darkness that penetrates your soul. The dark that is so dark that you hardly know up from down. I was born to such a world.
I remember first hearing words like red or brown or blue. My grandma came into our house after it had been raining, and she told my parents, "Oh how blue and beautiful the sky is after a nice rain." Before, I didn't know what she was referring to. Things like color and visible beauty were nonexistent in my dark world.
I was ridiculed all my life because of this darkness. Was it my fault that I couldn't see? Was it the fault of my parents? I often had people tell me that I couldn't see because of the bad things my parents had done. A load of bollucks. All my life the "holy ones" would tell me this. However, one Man did not blame me or my parents.
I was sitting in my spot. I call it my spot because I would get there early every morning and begin begging for money, food, shelter, or anything I could get. You see, for our society, being blind was equal to not being human. I couldn't work because I was inadequate. Furthermore, my blindess was due to sin--or so people told me. People were afraid my "sins" would rub off on them. Thus, I couldn't pay for a home or food. Anyway, I was in my spot when I heard a group of people walking toward me. I can always tell when it is the "holy ones" simply by how the walk. However, Someone new was with them. His feet touched the ground with more grace, with lighter feet, than the others.
The same bollucks started. Yet, it was different this time. I mean, it started the same: "Who sinned this man or his parents?" However, the reply was different.
The light footed man didn't condemn me or my parents. Instead, He came toward me, and He whispered, "This may sound crazy, but trust Me." I heard Him spit at my feet, and the next thing I knew He was rubbing mud, which He had made with His spit, on my eyes. I almost flipped my lid when this happened. Who does this Guy think He is rubbing mud on the poor blind man's eyes. Come on! He noticed my frustration and again whispered, "This may sound crazy, but trust Me." Then, He said aloud to me, "Go. Wash in the Pool of Sent."
"What?" I thought to myself. You want me to do what? Then, I remembered His man's words, and I thought I would play along. I thought for sure He was using me to get at those holy ones. I went to Sent, threw some water on my face, and washed the mud off. Then, my life changed. I stood up from the pool and noticed a bright light coming through my eyelids. I had never experienced such a thing. My eyelids slowly rolled back off my eyes. The light burned my eyes for a bit, but I saw some figures. Then, everything became much more clear. A boy was playing in the street with his dog. Trees with green leaves were all around. A bug fluttered past me. I later found out these are called butterflies. They worry me because they flutter about so haphazardly, but they are beautiful nonetheless. The field across from the pond was covered in yellow and red flowers, as far as the eye could see. Such vibrant colors. So much life.
I couldn't believe what was happening. This Man made me see. I started crying. No, weeping. I started laughing. I was weeping and laughing. This was the greatest day of my life. The beauty surpassed what I had imagined all my life. I could see. I ran to everyone I saw, declaring, "I can see! I can see! I once was blind. But now I see!"
I saw the Man later that day. The last thing He said has kept me puzzled ever since: "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." I don't know what to do with that because I was blind, but He made me see. Now I see, but does that mean I am blind? I don't know what exactly what He meant. I do know that it just stopped raining. The sun is shining, and my grandma was right. The sky is blue. A beautiful, beautiful blue. peace
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