Thanksgiving

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Hi all,

With the season of giving coming upon us, I thought I would resend this
touching story......

Allen
---------
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 a 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 is 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 were hurt. As he was tightening up
the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him.
 
The lady told him that she was from St. Louis and was 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 if he had 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 looked like the
telephone of an out of work actor--it didn't ring much. The 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 all 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
out the door.
 
She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered
where the lady could be, then she noticed something written on the napkin
under which were four $100 bills. There were tears in her eyes when she
read what the lady had written. It said, "You don't owe me anything, I have
been there too. Somebody once helped me out the way I'm helping 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 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."
 

_________________________
Allen and Tonya Lieberman
http://www.bright.net/~lieberma/
lieberma@bright.net

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