Chain of Love

  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 Levis factory 
closed, he had been unemployed, and with winter raging on, the chill had 
finally hit home.
  It was a lonely road.  Not very many people had reason to be on it, 
unless they were leaving.  Most of his friends had already left.  They 
had families to feed and dreams to fulfill.  But he stayed on.  After 
all, this was where he buried his mother and father.  He was born here 
and he knew the country.  He could go down this road blind, and tell you 
what was on either side, and with his headlights not working, that came 
in handy.  It was starting to get dark and 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 Merceded and got out.  His Pontiac was still sputtering when he 
approached her.  Even with the smile on her face she was worried.  No 
one had stopped to help her 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 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 its 
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, 
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 her window and began to talk to him.  
She told him that she was from Sanit Louis, and was only just passing 
through.  She couldn't thank him enoughfor 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, and God knows there were plenty who had 
helped him 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 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 Joe 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, 
dissapearing 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 resturant. 
Outside were two old gas pumps.  The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.  
The cash register was like the telephone of an out-of-work actor, it 
didn't ring much.  Her 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 the whole 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 Joe.  
After the lady had finished her meal, and the waitress went to get her 
change from a hundred dollar bill, the old 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 had 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, 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 she 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 alright , I love you Joe."

  May we forever do our part to keep the "Chain of Love" alive!

In Him, Jimmy 

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