In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, Danny hits a softball right at Reuven’s face. The ball breaks Reuven’s glasses, and the shards lodge in and scratch his eye – sending Reuven to the hospital. The friendship that develops between these two Jewish teens from very different backgrounds (Danny is Hasidic, Reuven a liberal Orthodox) following Danny’s visits to Reuven in the hospital is beyond beautiful. It grows into a relationship that is essential for both of them. There are so many beautiful layers in this story, just as in any of Potok’s stories. (Read the book.) Keep the beauty of this friendship in mind as you read the passage I’ve been thinking of quite a bit lately:

When Reuven’s doctor suggest he get out of bed to walk around a bit, he stands for a time at a window just watching the people walking around outside. His father comes to visit him later:

“You will not be able to read for about ten days. He told me he will know by then about the scar tissue.”

“I’ll be happy to be out of this hospital,” I said. “I walked around a little today and saw the people on the street outside.”

My father looked at me and didn’t say anything.

“I wish I was outside now,” I said. “I envy them being able to walk around like that. They don’t know how lucky they are.”

“No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate,” my father said quietly. “That is the way the world is.”

Reuven did not realize the fortune of his sight in both eyes until the sight in one was lost for a time. The people walking outside the hospital, likewise, had no reason to realize their fortune. I did not quite realize the fortune – the gift – that simply walking was until I had an injury that kept it from me. In fact, what spurred this post was a thought on my drive home this evening…. “I want and need to go for a walk this evening — the weather is perfect, and the time outside in the world is just what I need. …. I can’t walk.” I immediately thought of this passage.

The thing is, as I thought about it and reread it, I realized that the opposite is equally true — and far more profound in my life right now than the inconvenience of temporarily not being able to walk easily or to run. The circumstance that nearly took Reuven’s vision in one eye gave him the gift of a priceless friendship. Reuven may not have realized the gift his sight was until it was lost for a time. He also did not realize how unfortunate he was in his lack of a friendship such as developed with Danny until he experienced it. While he only had one eye to see with, he began to see the essential far more clearly.

Treasures come into our lives when we least expect them, even in the midst of the most unlikely of circumstances.

This is a post that begs for edits….I’ve written this very fast as I felt compelled to get my thoughts written out even if in a rough form.