Good morning and happy Friday, I pray your day is off to a great start and that you are filled with laughter and a whole bunch of smiles! Remember if you are not happy at this very moment you can change it just be redirecting the way you think about things....I am living, breathing proof that even in the last and final seconds of a bad situation God will come swooping in and make a change for you...Don't ever give up because HE has a plan in motion and sometimes we just have to get to the panic point so that we can see and never deny that things have changed because of HIM...
All month I have been posting stories and little write up about kindness and compassion, I have taken a break one day to post about bitter tongues and how they can, if we allow them, destroy what you are working for..I hated that day and after posting what I did post I prayed for the rest of the day, I prayed for forgiveness for allowing such hurt to take me away from what I know is right and what my mission is, I prayed for the "hurter" and it was revealed to me that this person delights on drama and causing problems in others lives, I prayed for this person asking God to open their eyes of their heart so that they might see that there is much more joy in life when you show unconditional love than when you insist upon crashing the party. I prayed for my blog that it would be cleansed of negative people and that it would continue to do what it is meant to do, inspire, uplift and teach.
I came upon this little story as I was reading and studying this morning and knew that it was placed on my heart so that I could share it with you... I know you might have read this before, maybe even once or twice but this what it is all about my friends, it is about giving with love in your heart and not expecting anything in return...do something nice for someone today...just because..I promise it will become the best part of your day!!!! Pay it forward:)
“TRUE HEROISM IS REMARKABLY SOBER, VERY UNDRAMATIC. IT IS NOT THE URGE TO SURPASS ALL OTHERS AT WHATEVER COST, BUT THE URGE TO SERVE OTHERS AT WHATEVER COST.”
THE STORY:
ONE DAY A MAN SAW AN OLDER WOMEN 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 LEXUS AND GOT OUT. HIS CHEVY 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 THOSE CHILLS 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’S WARM? BY THE WAY, MY NAME IS BRYAN ANDERSON.”
WELL, ALL SHE HAD WAS A FLAT TIRE, BUT FOR AN OLDER WOMEN 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. THE WOMEN ASKED HOW MUCH SHE OWED HIM. ANY AMOUNT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL RIGHT WITH HER. SHE ALREADY IMAGINED ALL THE AWFUL THINGS THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD HE NOT STOPPED.
BRYAN NEVER THOUGHT TWICE ABOUT BEING PAID. 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 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 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 WOMEN NOTICED THE WAITRESS WAS NEARLY EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT, BUT SHE NEVER LET THE STRAIN AND ACHES CHANGE HER ATTITUDE. SHE WONDERED HOW SOMEONE WHO HAD SO LITTLE COULD BE SO GIVING TO A STRANGER. THEN SHE REMEMBERED BRYAN.
AFTER SHE FINISHED HER MEAL, SHE PAID WITH A HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL. THE WAITRESS QUICKLY WENT TO GET CHANGE FOR HER HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL, BUT THE OLD LADY HAD SLIPPED RIGHT OUT THE DOOR. SHE WAS GONE BY THE TIME THE WAITRESS CAME BACK.
THE WAITRESS WONDERED WHERE THE WOMAN COULD BE. THEN SHE NOTICED SOMETHING WRITTEN ON THE NAPKIN.
THERE WERE TEARS IN HER EYES WHEN SHE READ WHAT THE LADY WROTE: “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.”
UNDER THE NAPKIN WERE FOUR MORE $100 BILLS.
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 THE WOMEN 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 GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. I LOVE YOU, BRYAN ANDERSON.”
FROM WHAT WE GET, WE MAKE A LIVING; WHAT WE GIVE HOWEVER MAKES A LIFE! PAYING IT FORWARD!
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