Paying it Forward

My husband really is one of those "nice guys". He's the mechanic that stops when he sees someone broke down on the side of the ride. If he can fix it on the spot, he does, no charge. That has led to many missed dinners, late nights, and several hours of me sitting in the car waiting on him. But we've all experienced times in our lives when we really could use a random act of kindness, and I'm glad he's one of those people willing to do all that he does.
This morning, he went into the gas station before work to get his coffee, snack and cigarettes for the day. When he got to the register, his debit card wouldn't work! Most of you may not realize this, but there is a severe lack of gas stations in downtown Indianapolis, so the ones you can find generally have long lines during the peak hours. This one is no exception. So with a line of customers behind him, he's scrounging through his pockets trying to find some loose change. A lady from the back of the line comes up and pays for everything for him. Now, he's not one to accept things from others so he thanks her and walks to the ATM to get cash out. When he tries to give it to her, she refuses to take it. She simply tells him to "pay it forward".
The Pay it Forward idea is nothing new, but it has seemed to really take off during the last few years when so many families are strapped for cash. Whether it was the Christmas Spirit or simply a kind stranger, we would like to extend a big Thank You to the anonymous lady in the Speedway gas station this morning. And to all my blogging buddies, I encourage you all to pay it forward in some way today as we will be doing.