A young and successful executive was traveling down a
neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was
watching for kids running out from between parked cars and slowed
down when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed
into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and reversed
back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped
out of the car, grabbed the kid who threw the brick and pushed him
against a parked car shouting. "What was that all about? Just what
the heck are you doing?"
Building a head of steam he went on. "That's a new car and that
brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money!!"
"Please, mister, please. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to
do!!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else
would stop..." tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he
pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He
rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift
him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please
help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too
heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly
swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the
wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and
cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay. "Thank
you and May God bless you," the grateful child said to him. The man
then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk
toward their home.
It was a long walk back to his Jaguar ... a long, slow walk. He
never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not
to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you
to get your attention.
