A life worth Loving

A life worth loving

A Valentine’s Day story

“I hate my life!” screamed Valerie throwing her piano’s sheet music against the wall in frustration, “I hate it! Hate it! Hate it!” she screamed.

Valerie’s mom, Mrs. Branson ran down the stairs, “Valerie! Why are you screaming? Settle down!”

“I can’t!” screamed Valerie tears running down her grey eyes, “I hate my life!” she said again sliding to the floor.

“Oh, Honey!” said Mrs. Branson, “Please don’t say that! Please don’t! You should be thankful for your life. You should be thanking God that you still are alive.”

Valerie looked up her, eyes full of hatred, “I wish he would have let me die!”

~

When Valerie Branson was six months old her father dropped her on her head. All of the doctors said that she would surely die from the serious concussion that the baby Valerie had. But they were wrong, Valerie survived, but she would be blind for the rest of her life! The concussion had robbed her of her vision for life. Mrs. Branson never forgave her husband for accidently dropping her only child, after the dramatic event she had tried to file a divorce but her husband did not consent knowing that divorce was wrong and because he still loved his wife with all his heart. But yet Mrs. Branson still held deep bitterness towards her husband. Valerie was now fifteen years old and was as miserable as could be. She hated her life; she wanted to be able to see! She blamed God for taking her sight away and she was bitter at everyone around her. Her parents were trying to get her to learn piano but Valerie would have outbursts of anger every time she missed a note and couldn’t figure out her piece. She was making her life miserable as long as her parent’s life also. The Branson’s were living a life without love.

~

“Valerie, I was looking online the other day and I found this lady who helps the blind.” Mrs. Branson was telling her daughter, “She seems like a very lovely lady, and she also teaches piano! I was thinking that it would be great if she could come meet you and maybe help you.”

“Help me!” screamed Valerie, “what do you mean help me? Am I not good enough for you? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing,” said Mrs. Branson, “it’s just that I was thinking that you could use the company.”
“ I have you!”

“Yes, but I work and so does your father!” said Mrs. Branson.

“I don’t want no help!” said Valerie firmly, “Just stay out of my life.”

I will stay in your life!” said Mrs. Branson firmly, “I have already asked this kind lady to come! Her name is Eloise Glacier.”

“I hate you!” screamed Valerie, “You always have to go and make things worse for me!”

Valerie stomped up the stairs and locked herself in her room.

Mrs. Branson still sat where she had been sitting tears rolling down her eyes, Oh how hard it was to hear her daughter tell her she hated her. Something needed to happen with Valerie! Maybe, just maybe this Eloise lady could help.

~

“Hello dear! You must be Valerie; who I have heard so much about!” said Miss Eloise the day she arrived a few days later.

 Valerie stood in front of the lady a frown on her face, and her arms crossed, “hello.” Valerie said drawing out each syllable in a nasty tone.

“Valerie that is not the way you introduce yourself!” said Mr. Branson gently but firm.

Valerie stood still and did not utter a word.

Miss Eloise smiled, “well I will enjoy working with you! Should we start by doing a piano lesson?”

~

“I can’t do it!” screamed Valerie at Miss Eloise who was reviewing a song they had been going over.

“Your right,” said Miss Eloise flatly.

Valerie’s head shot back in surprise, she had never heard that response before. Usually people told her that she could do it, and felt sorry for her.

“What did you just say?” asked Valerie.

“I said “Your right”

“How dare you…” started Valerie.

“I said you are right because you cannot do it!” said Miss Eloise interrupting Valerie, “you can’t do it with that attitude! Of course it is possible for you to do it, but only if you let God do it through you! None of us can accomplish anything without God doing it through us.”

Valerie stiffened, “I don’t believe that God will help me.”
“ Well I do!” stated Miss Eloise, “He will help you if you ask him to!”
“ God doesn’t help blind people do amazing things!”

“Oh, yes he does!” said Miss Eloise in a firm voice.

“Prove it!” said Valerie with her hands on her hips.

“Well, I know a man, his name is Kurt Labouve. He is an amazing pianist, he writes his own music and then plays it, and he also sings! He is truly an amazing man!”
“So,” said Valerie, “I have heard of lots of great pianists, what makes him so special?”

“He is blind,” said Miss Eloise, “and all of his music is glorifying to God! He does it all for God, because God gave him his talent. He wouldn’t be able to do what he does without God doing it through him.”

Valerie sat in silence, “why do you help the blind if you are not blind?” asked Valerie after a few moments.

Miss Eloise looked down in surprise, “well… I guess it is because when I was a little girl, I had a brother. When I was nine and he was five we were climbing a tree. He did something to make me mad and I… I pushed him! He fell out of the tree onto the ground hard.” tears came into Miss Eloise’s eyes, “I thought he was dead, but he lived. But he was blind. I always blamed myself and lived with guilt and regret. Many years later my brother killed himself. He killed himself because he hated his life. He hated having to live without being able to see. At first I blamed myself, but then I realized that I could help other people like I could have helped my brother. I could show them how beautiful life really was. Life is beautiful; God put us all on this world to live, and to love the life he had given us.”

“You don’t understand! You aren’t blind!” said Valerie.

“Your right,” said Miss Eloise said, “I don’t know what it is like to be blind. But I still know that your life is precious, if you want to be. You can also make other people’s life precious. But if you don’t love life you aren’t going to have a good one!’

After a pause Miss Eloise said, “Think of a piano piece for instance, “said Miss Eloise, “Let’s say you have to do a piano piece for a recital and then all of a sudden you miss one of the notes, what do you do? You have two choices- either keep on playing the piece or stop playing. If you finish the piece people will not remember that little missed note, they will remember how you kept on going! But if you stop going there is nothing for the people to be blessed by!”
Valerie sat in silence, “I guess that kind of makes sense,” Said Valerie, “But…” Valerie looked up at Miss Eloise with tears in her eyes, “How does God use me to be a blessing to others? How will he make me love life when I don’t?”
“ Valerie “said Miss Eloise softly “Have you ever trusted God as your savior?”
“ No, I never really felt like God could do anything good for me. He took my sight away, why then would he want to comfort and help me?”
“ Valerie, if you give your heart to God, I know he will give you peace, and I know he will give you a love for life!”

“You really think so?” asked Valerie.

“No, I know so!” said Miss Eloise with a smile.

~

A few days later Valerie accepted Christ into her heart to be her Savior! Instant joy filled her, and she began to see how wonderful life really was, she had two wonderful parents who loved her, and all she was doing was being a burden to them not a blessing.

“I must try to make things better!” said Valerie.

Later that day Valerie went up to her mother to speak to her.

“Mom, I know I have been hard to control lately, I know I have made things hard for you and dad. Miss Eloise led me to Jesus! I prayed last night and asked him to save me! Mom I feel so much better now, I feel like God put me here for a purpose! I’ve decided that instead of hating life and making other people miserable by my attitude, I am going to try to be a blessing to others! I want to try to be a blessing to you mom, I know I can’t help with a lot since I’m blind but I want to help you in any way possible. I am so sorry for telling you I hated you! I love you mom, I really do.”

“Oh, Honey! You are a blessing, and I am so glad you have gotten saved! That means so much to me.”
 Valerie’s mom came up and gave her a hug, “I love you dear.”

“Do you love dad?” asked Valerie softly.

Mrs. Branson jumped back in surprise, “Why would you ever ask that?”
“ Because you guys seem so distant like you don’t really love each other.”
“ Well we do love each other.” Said Mrs. Branson.

“You haven’t forgiven him for dropping me have you?” asked Valerie.

Mrs. Branson stood still, “Honey, it really doesn’t concern you,” she said softly.

“Yes, it does!” said Valerie, “You are my parents and I want us to be a proper family, a family that loves each other no matter what!”

~

Miss Eloise left a week weeks after that to go back to her home, since she had helped Valerie so much. Valerie had improved greatly on the piano; she was doing better in her school-work. And she had totally changed inside and out.

“I will miss you so much! You have changed my life, please write to me! I love you.” Cried out Valerie to Miss Eloise before she left.

“I will miss you too! And of course I will right you.”

“Thank you so much for everything you have done. You have truly done something amazing, I don’t know how you did it!” said Mrs. Branson hugging Miss Eloise goodbye.

“It only takes a little love, Mrs. Branson. Love can change anything!” said Miss Eloise.

Miss. Branson smiled, “Good-bye! And happy Valentine’s Day! It is so sad that you have to go on a holiday!”

“Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday; I wanted to spend it with some family!”

   Later that day when Mr. Branson got home from work he walked into the kitchen to see his wife crying.

“What is wrong?” he asked with concern.

“Go away! Just go.” Said Mrs. Branson miserably.

“ Laura,” said Mr. Branson calling her name softly, “ I got you something, I know you are still mad angry at me, but can’t we fix this!?! You will never know how much I hate myself for dropping Valerie, Can’t you understand! I love her as much as you do. And look at her; she is blossoming into a wonderful young lady. Miss Eloise certainly worked a miracle with her.”

“Billy, you don’t understand!” said Mrs. Branson, “I… I’m sorry. I never really realized how much you love me and Valerie. You could have divorced me, but you didn’t because you still loved me after I hurt you and blamed you for something that you could not have prevented! Miss Eloise has taught all of us something, and it is that when we love life, our life will be better, And I wasn’t loving life! I was hating it and… and… Billy I’m sorry! I love you, I really still do; it just took me awhile to see that!”

“Oh Laura,” said Mr. Branson full of emotion, “I always have loved you and I always will!”

“Happy Valentine’s day!” said Valerie when she walked down the stairs hearing her parent’s words, “Don’t you feel wonderful know that you guys are at peace! Isn’t life beautiful!?!”
“ Yes, yes it is!”