Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Good Samaritans

Most everyone has done something absentminded at one time or another. Last Sunday, I left church and started walking across the street with my husband, when a man yelled from behind us, asking, "Is this yours?"

I had been so busy zipping up my coat, getting my scarf, hat and gloves on, I forgot my purse! Fortunately, I got it back before any damage was done. I could have gone all day not realizing it was missing until I needed something in it. Someone could have walked out of church with it and enjoyed my Iphone, credit cards, money, keys and other items inside, but thanks to the man who had been sitting in back of me in church, that didn't happen, thank goodness.

About a week before, my husband decided to use cash instead of his charge card at the grocery store. He put his card down and forgot to pick it up. He didn't realize it until hours later at home. He called the store. Fortunately someone had noticed it and turned it in to the service manager, so he was able to retrieve it. He called the credit card company just in case, but no charges had been made in the interim.

Thanks to goodhearted people, we were extremely lucky. What about you? Do you have any incident where a Good Samaritan came to your rescue? Or, maybe you've included one in a book you've written or seen one in another book. Please share.

17 comments:

  1. You got very lucky that someone returned your purse, and your husband was able to retrieve his card back. Finding honest people isn't as easy nowadays, but I also think that more than before are plain afraid of being caught and the consequences of it.

    When I was growing up, we had our neighborhood "Invisible hand" program. Kids would gather and do tasks for elderly and those in need while they were at church, or out of the house running errands. Wood chopping, help with crops, cleaning the yard, weeding,painting the shed or even a house, or picking up garbage. It was fun to do, and at the end to leave the Invisible Hand anonymous note. They would submit the note to local TV, and they announce what was done during Sunday morning program for kids.

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  2. Wow, Morgan- lucky you.

    It is the small acts that make the world a better place, don't you think?

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  3. It's so nice to know there are still kind, honest people out there.

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  4. I have locked keys in cars, houses, that sort of thing. Once, we were on a trip from Tulsa to SC, and we lost a ring of car keys...including our car key! Fortunately, I had mine along with us, or we would have been stuck. We didn't have any money to pay for a locksmith.

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  5. The thing that seems to happen to me the most is things falling out of my shopping cart, or otherwise dropping things without noticing.

    Thankfully, as far as I know, someone has always stopped me and said "Ma'am, I think you dropped this."

    I in turn have done the same for other people in the store. The most common thing to fall out of shopping carts? Kool-aid packets.

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  6. Anonymous12:14 PM

    Hmm - good thing it was not Owen Fiddler behind you who noticed you had dropped your purse. That's the pivotal event in chapter one of the book ... he spots a purse on the sidewalk and instead of doing the right thing he - oops! Don't wanna spoil it for ya! (smile)

    Yes, there ARE good people in this world and I'm glad an angel was smiling on you that time.

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  7. Just goes to show you, there are good people in the world.

    I once went to Target and when I got back to my car, I couldn't find my car keys. I searched my purse several times - no keys. I did have the little plastic one you get that only opens the door, but won't crank the car, so I checked inside - no keys. I went back into Target and started going up and down every aisle. I must have looked suspicious because a security guard appeared. He ended up walking the store with me. No keys. He offered to walk back to my car with me, but I told him I had a key that would let me in and I would call my husband to bring me the spare keys.

    Yeah, you probably guessed -- while looking for my phone I found the dang keys in the purse.

    I tell you, I searched that purse!

    Helen Ginger
    http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com

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  8. Anonymous1:37 PM

    I left my wallet I'm my office when I went out for lunch. I panicked when I got to starbucks. The guy behind me paid for my drink.

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  9. I used to be a blonde, so I've plenty of stories where I left something behind...

    And I almost always encounter a good Samaritan when I'm lugging my booksigning stuff in and out of stores who will hold open the door - even had a few help me carry the stuff!

    L. Diane Wolfe
    www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
    www.spunkonastick.net
    www.thecircleoffriends.net

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  10. Anonymous3:23 PM

    My mother left a trail of credit cards and ID cards on the sidewalk outside of my apartment in Boston when she forgot to zip her purse (it was a front-loading model). Neither of us noticed, until two girls left a message on her phone that they had picked them up. The good samaritans wouldn't accept any reward.

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  11. I am SO absentminded that I leave stuff all over the place! Thankfully I have never been "skimmed" over because of it.

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  12. I love it when i hear stories like this! I think it just proves that the world is still a great place to be! Thanks for sharing! jenni

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  13. I have had so many kind people come to my rescue at various times that I'm sure my guardian angel has asked for overtime! I think the world is full of good people but we mostly hear about the bad ones. Thanks for sharing one of the good stories.

    Jane Kennedy Sutton
    http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/

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  14. Anonymous7:11 PM

    I travel a lot at one point. I also broke down a lot. People were usually kind and generous. Thank goodness for Good Samaritan. I might still be in the mountains if it wasn't for them.
    Jo Ann Hernandez
    http://bronzeword.wordpress.com

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  15. Anonymous10:21 PM

    Ok, not so fabulous as some of the other comments here, but I had been having a really off week. Kids were screaming over everythin and on top of that the house was bone dry of coffee! So I headed to Starbuck's and while in the drive thru the guy before me paid for my entire coffee order! I mean two ventis, two kids juices and no way of thanking him cause he was long gone by the time the woman told me. Way to make a writers and bedraggled mother's day!

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  16. I think there are lots more good samaritans around than we imagine there would be. But then there are the disappointing ones you expect will treat you well but instead try to rip you off.

    I did have one occasion when my wallet was stolen out of my purse in a store. When I went to pay for my purchases I found my wallet missing and I knew exactly when it had been taken. By then the thieves were long gone. Several months later a man in a store heard some other Americans (this took place in Brazil) speaking English and gave them my wallet to return to me - they were my friends. Even though the money was gone, all my important documents were intact. That was a miracle!

    Sharon
    http://grandmaisawriter.blogspot.com

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  17. Many many good people in the world and I'm glad you had some around you that day!! You were in the right place at the right time:))

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