He was tired and aching and on his way home from a long day at work, so 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 old Pontiac was still

sputtering as 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 that 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's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan

Anderson." 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. 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 lady 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, "Pass it on." 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 lady noticed 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,

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 lady could be. Then she noticed something

written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "This

isn't a tip, it's a gift. You don't owe me anything. Somebody once helped me out and if you feel

you want to pay me back, don't let this chain of love end with you, pass it on." 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 to closing time. 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 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 gentle kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to be all right. I

love you, Bryan Anderson." There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Let this

light keep shining. Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you know they

are always there.