Read this
You know, he almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on
the side of the road. But even in the dim light of day, he could
see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes
and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he
approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was
worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so.
Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe, he looked poor
and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out
there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which
only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you ma’am.
Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way,
my name is Bryan.” Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an
old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car
looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time
or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get
dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts,
she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told
him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing
through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. She asked him how
much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right
with her. She had already imagined all the awful things that
could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought
twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was
helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty
who had given him a hand in the past… He had lived his whole
life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next
time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that
person the assistance that they needed, and Bryan added
“…and think of me”. He waited until she started her car and
drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt
good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. A
few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went
in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made
the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant.
Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was
unfamiliar to her. The cash register was like the telephone of
an out of work actor-it didn’t ring much. Her waitress came
over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a
sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day
couldn’t erase.The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly
eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches
change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who
had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she
remembered Bryan. After the lady finished her meal, and the
waitress went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, the lady
slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the
waitress came back. She wondered where the lady could be,
then she noticed something written on the napkin under which
was 4 $100 bills. There were tears in her eyes when she read
what the lady wrote. It said: “You don’t owe me anything, I have
been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m
helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what
you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.” Well, there
were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve,
but the waitress made it through another day.That night when
she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was
thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How
could the lady have known how much she and her husband
needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be
hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay
sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered
soft and low, “Everything’s gonna be all right; I love you,
Bryan.”
Today, I sent you this story, now I am asking you to pass it
on…Let this light shine. Don’t just delete it…Someone else’s
life might change because you sent it on to them…Regards
“Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests that first came the baboon
and then man. Politics is proving that it can go either way.”
mariusc@…
Marius Calitz
P.O.Box 7300
Newcastle
2940
KZN
Republic of South Africa