We hear so many horrible things about the way people treat one another in this world today, it’s always nice to hear stories about people doing good, no matter how small the gesture.
I got an e-mail Monday afternoon from a man who said his 12-year-old son had found an iPad in the shoe department of Kohl’s store. The man got into the iPad and discovered my e-mail address there. Apparently I was the last person the owner of this ipad had e-mailed.
The finder of the ipad sent me an e-mail telling me what had happened and wondered if I had a telephone number for the young man who had lost the iPad.
 

To tell you the truth, I talk to so many people via e-mail every day that while the name sounded familiar I couldn’t for the life of me recall what I had talked with this young man about or whether I had a phone number for him.
Well I didn’t have the number, but I did have his e-mail address. But before I could even send the man a reply e-mail he called me to make sure I’d gotten his e-mail and to see if I had found a phone number for the young man who had lost the iPad.
I gave him the young man’s e-mail address and I sent the young man a message as well.

I was just struck by the fact that this man and his son would go to so much trouble to try and make sure this ipod was returned to its owner, and I told him as much.
He chuckled as if he’s effort was no big deal. As if it was something anyone would do for another person. But he also said he couldn’t imagine losing his iPad or iPhone or blackberry with all his information in it. He commented what a frustrating mess that would be for anyone and so he wanted to do what he could to get this one back to the young man who lost it. “Wow,” I thought that’s really cool and really nice of him.

I just couldn't help thinking that there are so many people out there who if they found an expensive piece of electronic equipment like that they would consider it a gift, you know what I mean?
But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I have a misconception about people because I spend so much time writing stories about the ugly things that people do to one another.  Maybe it just seems like people are greedy, selfish, thoughtless, and unkind, because we hear more about those folks than we do about the majority who go about their life being quietly kind and considerate, like this man and his son.

I like to think that either of my boys would also go to such length’s to return something they found, something they know does not belong to them, something they know another person is probably frantically missing. I like to think that I’ve taught them the honor in doing something like that. I bet it is really hard to instill in children that just because some one lost something and you found it, does not make it yours.
 Remember that old song “Loser’s weeper’s, finder’s keeper’s.” I remember singing that one when I was a kid.

I did tell my oldest about the incident and he said he would never be able to keep something like that if he found it.  But he did admit he wouldn't go to as much trouble as this man did to return it. He said he would have just turned it in at the store, then worry that the person at the store kept it. I was happy to hear him also say that just knowing how wrong it would be to keep it would haunt him. He said he feels like every time he would turn the darn thing on it would squeal, "loooser" or "I'm... not,,, yours. Theif."

 This man is really teaching his son a valuable lesson. Of course he also said that when he looked at the iPad he noticed that it had a University of Kansas Jay Hawk screen saver on it. And, since the father went to KU and is a big fan, he felt he had to help out a fellow Jay Hawker. He laughed about that since obviously that was not his motivation.

Late in the day the young man who lost the ipod finally called me. When I told him what was going on he was really happy to hear that someone had found it and wanted to return it to him. He did call the man and I learned later that the father and the young man who lost the ipod were meeting later that night so that the young college student could get his ipad back.

I just want to sing this father's praises. This man and his son did the right thing. And they put some real effort into doing it too.
 I hope their actions are more reflective of the world that we live in than the other bad stuff we hear about. What a great lesson this man taught his son and me.