By Alex Berger
There are no cheerful holidays in January, they grumble. Well, folks, it is time for me to perk up everyone's mojos. Read the following vintage, venerable, and absolutely veritable stories that have been rattling around (in one form or another) for some time and see if they don't lift your spirits a wee bit. Trust me.Here's one. A young and successful executive was driving down a neighborhood street in his new car. He was on alert for children who might dart out in front of him. Suddenly, a brick smashed into the car's side door. The man slammed on the brakes and backed the car to the spot where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed the guilty child, and pushed him against a parked car shouting, “Just what the heck are you doing? Why did you do it?” The young boy was apologetic. “Please, mister, I didn't know what else to do. I threw the brick because no one would stop for me.” With tears dripping down his face, the youth pointed to a spot under a parked car. “My brother is lying there,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair. I cannot lift him.” The sobbing boy then pleaded, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He is hurt and too heavy for me alone.” Moved beyond words, the man gently lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair. He then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed his scrapes and cuts. “The boy is going to be all right,” he reassured the brother. “Thank you,” the grateful boy answered. Too shook up for words, the man watched the proud boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk towards home. He then took a long, slow walk, himself, back to his car. Although the damage to the car was very noticeable, the man never bothered to repair it. He left the dent there as a reminder not to go through life so fast that a brick had to be thrown at him to get his attention. Here's another. One evening, Bill was driving home on a small country road he seldom traveled on. He knew not to stop moving lest his old, sputtering car not start again. Bill's factory had closed weeks before and left him looking for work, anything that might come his way. Also, a severe winter storm was raging, chilling and numbing his body, and hindering his search for employment. Bill thought of his neighbors who had moved to seek employment elsewhere. He was asked to join them, but Bill insisted on staying. After all, this was the town where he was born, where he buried his parents, and where he found his true love. In the dim light, he saw an elderly lady standing on the side of the road, shivering in the cold. She obviously needed help. Not thinking of his own problems, Bill pulled up in front of the lady's disabled vehicle. He got out to assist her and gave her a friendly smile. But the lady was frightened Ð is this stranger coming to help or hurt her? Bill introduced himself and said, “Why don't you wait in the car where it is warmer?” She did. He then crawled under the car, and, in the process, skinned his knuckles and got mud all over his clothes. His hands began to bleed and his fingers were numbed by the cold. But in a few minutes, Bill found the car's problem Ð a flat tire which he promptly fixed. The grateful lady, who said she had traveled a long distance to visit her hospitalized sister in another state, was lost. Bill pulled out his wrinkled map and indicated the quickest way to her sister.The lady thanked Bill and asked how much she owed him for coming to her assistance. “Nothing,” Bill said. “But, the next time you see a person in need, and you are in a position to help, do so.” Bill then left and, despite a cold and depressing day, felt a glow of warm satisfaction. Meanwhile, a mile down the road, the lady stopped at a small cafe for coffee to shake off the chill. The waitress, with a friendly smile, brought her a clean towel to dry herself off. The lady noticed that the waitress was pregnant and overheard her telling the cook her concern about paying the maternity expenses. Then she remembered Bill's request. After finishing her coffee, the lady gave the waitress a $100 bill to change. When she left momentarily, the lady left her a note and quietly slipped out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The note read, “Please keep the change. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help you. Someone was kind enough to help me when I was also in need. Bless you and the baby.” There was still a long, difficult night ahead for the waitress to work, and many more people to serve, but she ignored her aching back and tired feet the rest of the night. When the waitress finished work and returned home, she silently climbed into bed beside her sleeping husband. All night she wondered how that lady had known how much she needed the money, especially with a baby due, and her husband not working steadily. She knew how worried he had been, and how important the $100 gift would be. She gave her husband a gentle kiss and whispered softly, “Everything is going to be all right. I love you, Bill.” Now, readers, don't you feel better about January already? Reach columnist Alex Berger at timesledger.aol.com call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
