Do A Good Deed...And Pass It On

Joe was driving home one evening on a two-way lane country road.
Ever since the factory closed, he'd been looking for work, and
with winter coming on, the chill had finally hit home. Work, in
this small Mid-western community, was almost as slow as his
beat-up Pontiac. But he never quit looking. This was a lonely
road but Joe knew it so well that he could almost drive it with
his eyes closed. It was starting to get dark and light snow
flurries were coming down. Suddenly, he came upon an old lady
stranded on the roadside. He pulled his Pontiac in front of her
Mercedes and got out. 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 said, "I'm here to help you,ma'am. Why don't you
wait in your car where it is warm? By the way, my name is Joe."
All she had was a flat tire and Joe wasted no time changing it.
He skinned his knuckles a time or two and also got dirty in the
process. After he finished, she rolled down her window to thank
him. Joe just smiled and said, "I'm glad I could be of service,
ma'am." She asked how much she owed him. Joe never thought twice
about the money. This was not a job to him. This was helping
someone in need, and plenty had given him a hand in the past.
Joe had lived his whole life that way, and it never occured 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 they needed. Then
Joe added, "And think of me." The lady got back on the road
and headed for home. A few miles down the road the lady saw a
small cafe. She went inside to grab a bite to eat and take the
chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. Her
waitress came over and brought a clean towell to wipe her wet
hair. The waitress 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
didn't seem to let the stress and strain change her attitude.
The old lady wondered how some who had so little could be so
giving to a stranger.Then she remembered Joe. After the old
lady had finished her meal, and 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 noticed that the lady had written something on her napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read it. 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 and
people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day.
That night when she got home form work and climbed into bed,
she was still thinking about the money and what the lady had
written. How could the lady have known how much she and her
husband needed the help? With the baby due next month, it was
going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was. Yet,
as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and
whispered sweetly into his ear,"Everything is going to be
all right. I love you Joe."
~Author Unknown~

*this story was later made into a song, sung by country singer Clay Walker, titled "Chain of Love"