Let The Light Shine 

It was a lonely road. Not many people had a
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 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
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 her
 for the last hour or so. Was he going to
 hurt her? He didn't look safe, he looke
 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 ma'am.
 Why don't you wait in the car
 where it's 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 the lug nuts, she rolled down
her window and began to talk to him.
She told him that she was from St. Louis
and was only passing through. She couldn't
 thank him enough for 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 all right 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. There was 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 Joe added "...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 home, disappearing into
the twilight. A few miles down the road the lady
saw a 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
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 for 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,
he 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 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 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 all right; I love you Joe."

~~~Author Unknown~~~
 

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:
 for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.