This touching story is a great reminder that a small act of kindness can create a ripple effect of love and compassion:
The guy in the sputtering Pontiac noticed an old lady in a Mercedes broken down on the side of the road. She looked completely helpless -- frightened and cold, so he stopped.
“I’m here to help you, ma’am" he said. "Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”
As he was fixing her flat tire, the lady rolled down the window and told him she was from St. Louis, just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her rescue. Being older, alone and broken down on a dark road was frightening! When he had fixed the flat, she asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would not have been too much.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. He never thought twice about being paid. God knew there were plenty of people who had given him a hand in the past. He simply told the lady:
"the next time you see someone who could use your help, help them the best way you can."
Bryan added, “And think of me.“ After he saw her car drive down the road, he headed home. Although it had been a cold and depressing day, Bryan felt good. A few miles down the road, the lady had stopped by a small roadside cafe to warm up and have a bite to eat before she made the last leg of her trip home. A waitress with a sweet smile came over to take her order. The old lady could see the waitress was very pregnant and had probably worked all day; but she never let the strain and aches affect her attitude.
Then, the old lady remembered Bryan.
When the bill came, the lady gave the waitress a hundred dollar bill. When the waitress went to get change for her, the old lady slipped out the door. The waitress looked everywhere for her when she noticed a note written on a napkin on the table: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you want to pay me back, here is what you do:
Do not let this chain of love end with you.”
And under the napkin were four more $100 bills. That night when the waitress got home from work and climbed into bed, she kept thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the woman have known how much she and her husband needed it? Her husband had been so worried about their finances, knowing the baby was due next month.
She snuggled up next to him and without waking him, gave him a soft kiss and whispered:
“Everything’s going to be all right.
I love you, Bryan Anderson.”