大象传媒

Good morning.听 For all of us life can be somewhat dull and drab at times.听 My worst experience of this was during the five years I spent thirty years ago as a hostage in Beirut.听 Chained to the wall in a dark room for day after day was not the most stimulating of experiences to say the least.听 The room in which I was kept was on the upper level of a bombed out building and although I could hear sounds from the street below I could see nothing as shutters were placed over the windows and remained in place for 24 hours a day.听 The bathroom which I used had one very small window which was also shuttered and locked.
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One day, when I entered the bathroom and removed my blindfold, I noticed that the shutter had been left unlocked.听 Anxious to catch a brief sight of the outside world I clambered up and looked down.听 There, walking along the street, I saw a lady carrying a large bunch of flowers.听 Immediately I was struck by the colours.听 Having been deprived of colour for years, suddenly to see this wonderful display gave me such pleasure.听 The next time I entered the bathroom the window was firmly secured and I was never able to see outside again but the memory remained.
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I have often thought that the saying 'The best things in life are free' to be somewhat trite but this simple experience changed my mind. It was such a pleasure on my release to see colour again and to feel the wind on my face and to feel the warmth of the sun. Life can indeed be drab and dull at times but we are surrounded by the most wonderful free gifts which so often go unnoticed and unappreciated.听 They are indeed free and truly are some of the best things in life.
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Open our eyes O Lord that we may enjoy the full beauty of your creation.听 Amen.