I would never have realized that the ability to see is such a blessing until my grandfather told me this beautiful story. I was sitting beside my grandfather in the garden during springs. I told him that the garden looks so pretty due to colorful blossomed flowers and butterflies all around.

The story of a blind boy

He then told me that there was once a blind boy who would sit by a step, hold a sign that read “I am blind, helps me please”. The people who would pass by would tickle some coins in his hat which he kept in front of him.

One day a man was passing by and saw a blind boy with the sign. The man made some changes to the words written. On that day the hat was filled with a lot of coins. On usual days his hat would not fill in with that many coins.

He changed the wordings of the signboard

The blind boy was happy yet was curious to learn that what changes has the man-made to his sign that people have turned out so generous.

The very man was passing by in the evening and wanted to see the effects of change. He leaned forward, and the blind boy recognized that the very man has come. He asked if he was the man who made changes to the sign in the morning. The man said yes.

The boy then asked what changes he had made to the sign. The man said that I also told the people that you are blind but with different words. I wrote that “today is a beautiful day, yet I cannot see.”

Moral of the Story

He told me that he cannot enjoy that view as much as I can because he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Just as he finished his sentence and I was thinking that he might complain of old age, he thanked Allah for his eyesight. This was a bit surprising to me.

He then asked me if I thank Allah for eyesight. I embarrassingly said no. He then said that you and I are blessed with sight, we can enjoy the beauty of nature, we can see things and enjoy, we can see our path and learn a lot of things only because of the sight.

My grandfather turned to me and said, enjoying a day with less sight is difficult but without sight, every day is boring and dark. I thank Allah for blessing me with sight as I know that people without it live without colors.