Everybody is capable of turning their lives around, I truly believe that.
When you’ve been the victim of someone’s bad behaviour, it can stir up emotions in you that make you think you could never possibly forgive that person. But just as time heals, time also gives people the chance to grow and change.
That’s what this server saw first hand, after a drug addict stole her wallet while she was at work.
Five years ago, Amy was at a job interview for restaurant Miller’s Ale House. She was hired for the role, and spent some time at the restaurant filling out paperwork. While she was distracted with this task, someone took her purse out of her bag and made off with it.
Of course, when Amy discovered her purse was missing, she panicked. She called the restaurant to see if she’d dropped her purse, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Since then, Amy hadn’t thought too much about the incident. Although it was stressful and inconvenient at the time, the years went by and she never expected to hear anything more about her missing wallet.
But one day when she was at work, the thief reached out to her – and their words are surprising.
Surprise return
The thief turned up at Amy’s workplace and handed a letter to her colleague. Inside was a heartfelt appology – and USD $140.
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“I am in shock right now. Years ago I had my wallet stolen while at Miller’s Ale House. I searched everywhere and called Ale House but it was gone. Well, tonight at work someone gave Kaitlyn, our hostess, this envelope with this enclosed for me,” Amy wrote in a Facebook post which has since been liked and shared thousands of times.
The person who had stolen her wallet all those years ago had been addicted to drugs, and had stolen the wallet to fund their next fix. However, in the years since they had cleaned up their act, and was so repentent over the incident that they tracked Amy down to return the cash.
Here’s what they wrote in their letter to Amy:
“About 5 1/2 years or so ago I did something very terrible to you. I stole your wallet out of your purse. I was a drug addict wanting to take money from whoever I could to get my next high. I didn’t even know you. I pickpocketed you and took it right out of your purse.
I took the Best Buy card you had in it and whatever cash you had that was in it and threw the wallet in a trash can next to the store.
Not too long after that I landed in a treatment facility and got sober. I’ve been sober for 4 years now and just recently found your Best Buy card in a bag of old stuff. I looked up your name and found where you worked. So here I am.
I can’t imagine the frustration and despair I put you through, not to mention all the time and effort looking for it and getting all new stuff. It is unforgivable what I have done and would like to pay you a small amount of money for it.
I will also never hurt someone in that way ever again and will continue to live an honest life.
I wish you nothing but happiness, prosperity and good health.
Forgiveness
Amy was incredibly moved by the letter and gesture.
“I could not believe after all this time someone would care enough to go through the effort to find me,” Amy writes in her Facebook post, adding: “Stranger, I’m glad you got yourself better and than you so much!”
I’ve always believed that it’s never too late to make amends, and this story truly proves it! What a sincere gesture from this reformed person, and how incredible of Amy to accept the appology and forgive so readily.
What do you think? Was this gesture enough? Do you believe that we should forgive and forget? Share this article and let us know what you think in the comments section below!
