(an excerpt from Life's Work, by Francis J. Kong)

Chuck Swindoll tells his unforgettable story about two men and a window in his book, Growing Strong.

Mr. Wilson and Mr. Thayer both seriously ill, shared a small room in a hospital. The room was just small enough for them - two beds, two bedside lockers and one window looking out into the world. Both of them had to remain quiet and still, which was the reason they were in the small room by themselves. They were grateful for the peace and privacy, but they were not allowed to do much. No reading, no radio and no television. They had to pass their day quiet and still, just the two of them.

As part of his treatment Mr. Wilson was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon, and his bed was next to the window. Mr. Thayer however had to spend all his time flat on his back. So every afternoon, when Mr. Wilson was propped up for his hour he would pass the time by describing what he saw happening through the window beside his bed.

The window apparently overlooked a park with a lake where there were ducks and swans, children throwing them bread, and young lovers walking hand in hand beneath the trees. There were flowers, softball games, people relaxing under the sunshine and, behind the fringe of trees, there was a fine view of the city skyline.

Mr. Thayer would listen to all of this, enjoying every minute of it. Mr. Wilson told him all about the child who nearly fell into the lake, the beautiful girls strolling in the park, a ballgame that came to an exciting conclusion, and a boy playing with his puppy. Mr. Thayer could almost see what was happening outside their small room.

One afternoon, while listening to Mr. Wilson describe the parade passing by, Mr. Thayer thought, "Why would Wilson get to be next to the window and have all the pleasure of seeing what was going on? Why shouldn't I have the chance, too?" He felt ashamed for thinking like that but the more he tried to put the thought out of his mind, the more strongly he wanted to be the one to see all those sights. He would do anything, he felt, for a chance to be  by the window.

One night as Mr. Thayer stared at the ceiling, Mr. Wilson suddenly awoke, coughing and choking, the fluid congesting his lungs. His hands groped for the call button but he couldn't reach it. Meanwhile Mr. Thayer did nothing. Mr. Wilson choked one final time and then stopped breathing altogether.

In the morning, when the day nurse came into the room with water for their baths, she found Mr. Wilson dead.

As soon as it seemed decent, Mr. Thayer asked if he could be moved to the bed next to the window. The doctor agreed, and the nurse tucked him into his new bed, making him quite comfortable. The minute he was left alone, he propped himself up on one elbow, painfully and laboriously, to look out the window. What he saw surprised him. The window faced a blank wall.