Our lives often intersect for a reason, but isn’t it amazing when we they do, and we actually notice?
Two men, one from Twin Valley, Minn., and the other from Loveland, Colo., have never met in person, but their paths crossed 20 years ago, leading to a beautiful act of kindness today.
Here is their story:
“In October 1998, I was traveling to Colorado for an elk hunt. Each member of our group brought along a significant amount of cash to pay for food, horse rental, licenses, etc.
During our one-night stay at the Best Western in Loveland, Colo., I lost the checkbook where I had hidden my 12 $100 bills. I asked at the desk if it had been turned in, but no one had seen it.
We continued on with our trip, with me borrowing from my fellow travelers. The thought of losing that amount of cash weighed on my mind, but I just had to try to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Colorado and learn a lesson from the experience. After receiving no contact from the hotel, I was resigned I would never get the money back.
A few weeks later, on Thanksgiving weekend, the supervisor from the Best Western in Colorado called us at 7 a.m.. An employee during the night shift had decided to go through the lost and found and discovered my checkbook and its contents.
The supervisor mailed it to me, and sure enough, it was all there.
I ended up sending a reward to the employee, named Roy, who found the checkbook, and I also sent a letter to the corporate office. Not long afterwards I received a Christmas card and thank you letter from Roy in which he said this:
I am at one time, ashamed at the thoughts that occurred to me when I discovered your wallet, and proud to have made the right decision to return it to you. At an earlier time in my life, I would probably not have been so honest. I plan to use this reward to treat my wife to dinner and make a holiday gift of pet food to the humane society.
In March of 2018, after going through old stuff, I came across my hunting maps from Colorado and the Christmas card from Roy. It’s now nearly two decades later, but I decided to contact him and see if I could send him an additional reward just for fun.
I found him, thanks to Google, and proceeded to tell him my name and how our lives had intersected nearly 20 years ago. It all came back to him, and we had a pleasant conversation. Much to my surprise, Roy told me he still works at the Best Western. I asked for his current address so I could forward another reward to say thank you again.
After receiving the gift, Roy called to thank me. He said his wife is scheduled for surgery in April and because of the gift, they are able to have a ramp built for easier access to their home.”
Even across many years and many miles, a quick interaction between two strangers continues to draw kindness.
Please continue to share your stories of kindness with me at info@nicolejphillips.com. Or send a letter to Kindness is Contagious c/o Nicole J. Phillips, The Forum, 101 5th St. N., Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107.
Nicole J. Phillips is a former television anchor for Fox News in Fargo. She is a writer, speaker and mother of three kids. Nicole is married to Ohio University’s men’s head basketball coach Saul Phillips. You can visit Nicole at nicolejphillips.com.
