For the second time in a week, I am thankful for the kindness of strangers.

A few days ago, I wrote about the good person at Jiffy Lube who checked the oil in my car, the fluid levels, and the tire pressures and who assured me that I didn’t need his services. In addition, he said I did not need to pay him because, in his view, he didn’t do anything. For me, it was very much something.

To add to my good fortune, yesterday I was the recipient of yet another act of selfless largesse.

Out of the blue, my daughter-in-law came to my suite holding my wallet. She asked, “Are you missing something?” My jaw dropped. I had not realized I had lost it.

Then she told me about how it came into her possession. A woman had come to the front door and asked if I lived at the house. My daughter-in-law assured her that I did, and the woman handed her my wallet. She explained that she had found it in the parking lot at the bank.

She went on to relate how she had to take the bus to get to my address and, when she told the bus driver that she was returning my wallet, she was given a free bus ticket.

On our front step she was quite chatty and told my daughter-in-law her name and a little bit about herself. She also gave her a hug. My daughter-in-law gave the woman a small reward and thanks for returning the wallet, and she went on her way.

What the woman did not know is that I am moving house this week, and my whole life is in that wallet. It houses my credit and debit cards, my driver’s license, medical insurance card, social security number, car registration, Covid vaccination record, provincial health card, automobile association card and a few other miscellaneous store and association cards.

As I think about it now, the reward she was given didn’t come close to the value of the contents of that wallet.

I know you are all going to tell me that I should have put all those cards on my phone, and most of them are, but I find that in many business and service places I still need a card. Even so, I think I need to put the cards in more than one location, and I don’t need them all with me every time I go out. Lesson learned.

I also learned, or was reminded, that good people come in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and social status.

The woman who returned the wallet could have done me a lot of harm by using my cards and personal information, but she didn’t. She brought it all back to me, and I am immensely grateful. I could not have lived through the next few weeks without it.