The Flashlight

Several years back I knew a man with failing health. Everywhere he went it seemed like life was such a chore. As he traveled through the Arizona desert in his old Chevrolet he drove for miles and miles. As he topped one hill all of a sudden there’s a double blow-out on both front tires. He gently pulled over to the shoulder just barely over this hilltop. He viewed a town that looked as if it was a few miles away.
Going to his trunk he opens it and to his despair the spare tire is flat too. There was no choice as what to do. He proceeded to remove the passenger side tire. Carefully, he rolled the two tires down the steep mountain watching out not to loose control. He had walked several miles but the town really didn’t look any closer. His heart sunk as he felt so all alone. Then, to his amazement a RV stopped to give him a lift. “What a welcome sight!” he said. They stopped at the first gas station they came to and he thanked them left and right for the ride.
He took the two tires inside this station and the attendant informed him that they didn’t work on tires but there was another station in town that did. It was on the other side of town so if he hurried he might just make it before they closed.
So here he goes off to the other side of town rolling his two tires to the other station. As he finally arrives, the attendant tells him that they had a charge of $20.00 each to mount the tires. Anyway, after a few minutes of dealing, they both decided he would mount the tires himself. So the cost would only be the tires themselves. I guess it sounded like a pretty good deal at the time.
So, all mounted and ready to go here he goes off again through town rolling these tires. He gets to the outskirts of town totally exhausted as he hits the service road to enter the interstate. He just wanted to sit and rest. Down to his last dollar, he started to sit as this white Ford passes him.
Then it stops. Slowly it backs up to where he is and the passenger door opens. “Howdy, do you need a lift?” he asked in such a kind voice. “Sure do mister” he replied. “I got my car jacked up way up on the mountainside and I don’t know if I’ll make it up there before dark”
The man replied, “Throw in your gear and let’s go up there and see what we can do.” “Thanks”, he said as he placed the tires in the back of the truck. He noticed a flashlight the man had and he thought to himself…he was better prepared than I was. He just thought next time he’d be better prepared.
So shortly they reached their destination. The man looked at him and said I’ll have this done for you in no time. So he sat there while this unknown man changed these tires. Wow, what a wonderful act of kindness as he sat there exhausted. I guess the day’s trials and problems finally caught up to him. I supposed it showed on his face.
As the man was finishing up he went to this man and told him he didn’t have any money to pay him for his help. The man replied, “I never wanted any money for helping you. But I do want to tell you a story. Many years back when it was the thing to be here for the movies and stuff…yes, I’ve been in several movies they made from around here. I too broke down here in this area years back. I didn’t have a penny to my name. I broke down at night and when it gets dark here, it is pitch black where you can’t see your hand in front of you.
These people took me in and feed me. I was hungry. Then they fixed my car with the use of a flashlight. That is the flashlight right here from my truck. Ever since that day my life has been easy. They told me all I had to do to repay them was to pass the flashlight on to someone I helped and that was payment enough. “Gosh”, he said, “there’s no telling how long this old flashlight has been passed around. So now I give it to you to pass on.”
He left soon afterward and he just sat there in his car wondering where this flashlight had been and what it had seen. But the man told him one thing that will always stick with him to this day…as long as the flashlight shines there is hope.
I know this story is true because it happened to me. However, this saintly man did admit he had bought several flashlights and had passed them on throughout the years. .