Great Story - If this doesn't get you in a Holiday Mood.....You're Dead.

He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road. Work, in
this small Midwestern community, was almost as slow as his beat-up
Pontiac. But he never quit looking. Ever since the factory closed, he'd been
unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home.

It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless
they were leaving. Most of his friendshad already left. They had families to
feed and dreams to fulfill. But he stayed on. After all, this was where he
buried his mother and father. He was born here and knew the country. He
could go down this road blind, and tell you what was on either side, and
with his headlights not working, that came in handy.

It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He'd
better get a move on. 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 m'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 a napkin. 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 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 the
Light Shine. Don't put it under a basket. Please pass this on to a friend.