An amazing story to re-affirm your faith in people

“Some of the weirdest things have happened to me in life.” Photo: Jeff Childs

by Jeff Childs

Three years ago today, I was hauling a slop-taker out of Ft. Mac down to Elk point.

Some of the weirdest things have happened to me in life, but this memory popped up on Moose’s page, thought I’d share it.

Some days I’m completely amazed at the selfish nature of people, then things like today happen and re-affirm my faith in people.

Almost 15 years ago, my wife JoAnn was working in the housing department of Munn University.

On a Friday afternoon a student came in, he’d lost his meal card.

She explained the replacement was $5.00.

The guy broke down in tears.

He’d spent his very last dime fixing his laptop, and was absolutely broke until Monday.

Even though you can prove you’re a student, you can’t eat unless you pay the meal charge, OR show your pre-paid meal plan card.

JoAnn, being JoAnn, pulled $5 from her purse, paid for his card, and said “Come back and see me Monday.”

She told me the story that night at supper, I joked saying “Kiss that $5 good-bye, but it was the right
thing to do.” And we thought nothing more of it.

I mean really?? What’s $5 in the grand scheme of life??

To some people, like a broke college student, it was the difference of going hungry for three days or not.

Let’s fast forward to yesterday.

I arrive on site, have a temp replacement plant operator working his last day show me the scope of work, we chatted a few hours during it, learning a bit about each other.

When I told him where I was from, he said “ I actually went to school at Munn University in St John’s.”

I replied, “My wife used to work there, in many various departments doing short term contracts.”

A little later, as I’m doing up the paper work, he noticed my last name and started telling me the “story”
about a gal with MY last name, and how her kindness once touched him so much that he’d never forgotten it.

I don’t know who was more shocked: him, as I interrupted him finishing the story pretty much as I’d
remembered it, and that the lady in his story was actually my wife!!

Or me, when he pulled a worn $5 out of his wallet, and said “Please tell her I’m sorry I forgot to go back and repay her, but, I left for my home in China a day early, I never forgot about it. And every time I come back to Canada, I bring one with me remembering how nice Canadian people are.”

He handed the $5 to me and said, “Give her a hug, and say thank you.”

You, Mr. Steve Yang, are a person of morals, value, and gratitude to the likes very few others would or
could ever understand.

I just wish he hadn’t been called away before I could get his contact info to put them in touch.

*****