Losers Weepers
December 30, 2008 (Tuesday)
Many people believe in “finders keepers.” If they find money, they keep it and keep quiet about it. A California lady brought home a box of crackers from the store and found an envelope with currency in it. Hundred dollar bills. One hundred of them. That’ right, $10,000! She called the police. She and her family did the honest thing, without a second thought.
The police immediately guessed that it was drug money, but they were wrong. An elderly lady had withdrawn all her money from the bank and put it into the box of crackers for safe keeping. But she apparently forgot about it, and for some reason returned the crackers to the grocer. She later returned to the store, having remembered where she put her money, but the box had already been put back on the shelf and had been sold. The poor lady was distraught. This had been all the money she had in the world.
Can you imagine how thankful the hysterical elderly lady was when she was later told her money had been found and was being returned to her? (The next sentence should be a description of the gratitude expressed by the lady who had lost her money for a few days. Wouldn’t you be thankful for a family that found your money and returned it?) Sadly, she made no effort to contact the honest and kind family that rescued her future. Perhaps she is not responsible for her actions, and needs someone to help her keep track of her affairs.
Isn’t it great to hear of a family that did the right thing and whose first thought when finding $10,000 they could have kept for themselves, was “the only right thing to do is to get this money to its rightful owner?” Think of the children in that home. They will never forget that their family was one in which they were taught, by precept and example, to do the right thing, to be honest, kind, and just in all their dealings in life.
Many people will have an opportunity at some time in their lives to make a choice between right and wrong. If a lot of money is involved, the temptation will be strong to make a serious mistake that will tarnish their reputation and trash their conscience.
One of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt not steal.” But just in case you think “finders keepers” trumps that law, remember the ninth Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet..anything that is thy neighbor’s.” This family did the right thing and they will always be glad they did.