He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road.  Work, in this small mid-western community, was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac.  But he never quit looking.  Ever since the Lewis factory closed, he'd been  unemployed, & 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 friends had already left.  They had families to feed & dreams to fulfill.  But he stayed on.  After all, this was where he buried his mother & father.  He was born here & knew the country.

He could go down  this road  blind, &  tell  you what  was on either side, & with his headlights not working, that came in handy.  It was starting to   get  dark & 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 & 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 & hungry.  He could see that she   was frightened, standing  out there in the cold.  He knew how she felt.  It was that chill, that 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 Joe."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that  was  bad enough.  Joe crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skining his knuckles   a  time or two.  Soon he was able to change  the  tire.  But  he had to get dirty & his hands  hurt.  As  he  was tightening  up the lug nuts, she rolled down her window & began to talk to him.  She told him that she was from St. Louis & was only just passing through.  She couldn't thank  him enough  for coming  to her aid.  Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk.

She asked him how much she owed him.  Any amount  would have been alright with her.  She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.  Joe never thought  twice about the money.  This was not a job to him.  This was helping someone in need, & God knows there were plenty who had given  him a hand in the past.  He had lived his whole life that way, & 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, & Joe added "....and think of me."

He waited until she started her car & drove off.  It had been a cold & 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, & 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 unfamilar to her.  The cash register was like the telephone of an out of work actor, it didn't ring much.

Her waitress came over & 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 & aches change her attitude.  The lady wondered how someone who had  so  little could  be so giving to a stranger.  Then she remembered Joe.

After the lady finsihed her meal, & the waitress went  to get  her change from a 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 a thing, I've  been there too.  Someone once helped me out, the way I'm helping you.  If you really want to pay  me back, here's what you do.  Don't let the chain of love end with you."

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, & people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day.  That night when she got home from work & climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money & what the lady had written.  How could she have known how much she & her  husband needed  it?  With  the baby due  next  month, it was going to be hard.  She knew  how  worried her husband was, & as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss & whispered soft & low, "Everything's gonna be alright, I love you Joe."

Pass it on....