Thanks for turning in my lost wallet

My family and I visited Whitefish last month. We stayed on the mountain at a vacation property.  

One of the mornings there, we decided to have breakfast in town. My adult children did not communicate the location well, so one of them could not find the restaurant. I went out to the sidewalk to help them find the place.

During all the confusion I placed my wallet on a bench outside the restaurant and was standing on the sidewalk so my daughter could see me. Everyone finally arrived and when the meal was over, I started to pay and realized my wallet was missing.

The rental car keys, all my money and all my cards were in the wallet. We explained to the waitress what had happened.

My daughter that was with me had her wallet in the car. We called AAA to come and unlock the car. While we waited, I went into several of the stores to see if anyone had turned in a wallet.

I had given up when someone suggested a pizza place next door to the restaurant. This was breakfast time so I thought it was closed.

I walked in and asked if anyone had found a pink wallet.  She reached under the cash register and said, “You mean this one.”

I was so excited, but still hesitant about the contents. I never carry cash, but since on vacation I had at least seven $100 bills tucked inside the wallet. I opened it up and all the money, all the cards, my driver’s license and the car keys were just as I left them.

The person who found and turned in the wallet did not leave a name so I was not able to thank them.

I had my wallet stolen in 2013 and was not near so lucky. Everything was taken. I had to replace everything.

I live in a very small town in northwest Arkansas. My family enjoyed our stay in your town. I am writing this to you with the hope that maybe somewhere in your paper, you could squeeze in a great big Thank you from my family to the honest person who turned my wallet in to the pizza place. Our vacation would have been ruined if it had not turned up.

We will never forget our stay in Whitefish.

— Connie Howell