On several occasions, individuals unknown to me have acted with kindness. The humanity of their actions always renews my faith in people. It assures me that kindness exists. It is ours to give regardless of economic or social status. And sometimes it can feel like it’s the only thing that matters in this world.

This is to the man who found my bag at the corner of Dundas Street West and Jarvis.

I was sitting (yes, dressed up in business attire and all) on a small wall at the corner of Dundas and Jarvis in downtown Toronto. For those of you who know the area, the location is not the grand Jarvis Street of the past. When my husband pulled up with the car, I even joked about it being a bit early in the day to be joining the hookers. For personal reasons, it was not a good day. I had just completed a successful meeting with a client but was distracted with other matters. I had sat down to regain my composure, using my bag as a cushion. For that moment, I didn’t care that my appearance was incongruous with my surroundings. Life was defeating me.

I didn’t even notice the bag was missing until I picked up your voice mail the next morning.

Your voice was hesitant but you used my name because you’d found my business card. Now stuck with an empty computer bag (yes, it only contained my meeting notes, which means you were particularly brave to turn it in), you said you’d leave it at the hotel at the corner. Smart thinking. I drove downtown right away and picked it up.

The bag was an expensive one so I was glad to get it back. It had also been a gift from my husband. But the meeting notes were especially valuable because they represented a project for me that I didn’t want to mess up.

My regret is that I never had a chance to thank your because I don’t know who you are.

The man at the hotel said you were “a stranger” walking down the street. I tried calling your number but the phone you used didn’t take messages. Your kindness in taking the time to retrieve my bag and call me did more than you could ever know.

Bless you and thank you.