Since
it is Valentine's Day, I didn't feel a need to ramble and blast dumb people
today. Don't worry; I'm not going to get all mushy either. I just read this
amazing story that exhibited the fact that there are still good people in this
world no matter where they are in their lives. Meet Billy Ray Harris (right), a
homeless man in Kansas City, Missouri. He recently got the surprise of a
lifetime when he found a platinum diamond engagement ring in his change cup.
Now, any homeless man in New York City would've taken that ring and pawned it
off for cash so they can by booze or drugs. Not Billy Ray! He actually held
onto the ring, and returned it to its rightful owner the very next day when she
came looking for it. That is amazing! Personally, my guess is that he kept it
in his pocket to see if anyone claimed it first, and if nobody did, then he
would've pawned it off for cash, but the point is that he had it in him to hold
onto it for at least one day. Then again, maybe he just never got to the pawn
store.
Anyway,
Harris, who sleeps under a bridge, was begging for spare change last Friday
when a woman stopped and gave him some of her change. Neither Harris nor the
woman realized, at the time, along with a few stray coins, she had mistakenly
dropped her diamond and platinum engagement ring into his cup. Sarah Darling,
the ring's owner, says that for some reason that day, her rings were bothering
her, so she put them in her coin purse. Why would she do that? A coin purse
isn't exactly the safest place for a diamond engagement ring. I have to also
say, as a recent buyer of an engagement ring, if my fiancée lost hers in this
way, I might've been a bit furious. I wonder how Miss Darling's fiancée felt he
found out...Or did he find out? Anyway, after an hour after Darling made her
unintended donation, Harris went through the cup and discovered the
jewelry.
Harris
said that the ring was so big that he knew it was real and it was expensive.
That was some Cracker Jack box, huh, Billy Ray? Miss Darling didn't realize
what had happened until the next day. She said she became incredibly upset and
not because of the value of the ring, but the sentimental value that came with
the ring. She thought that it was lost forever. In her attempt to backtrack her
steps and against all odds, Darling returned to the same spot in The Plaza
where she'd first encountered Harris; she squatted down beside him and asked is
he remembered her. At first, he replied, "I don't know. I see a lot of
faces." Darling then told Harris that she may have given him something
very valuable the day before, and then the light bulb went off in Harris's
head. He knew exactly who she was. He asked, "Was it a ring?" Darling
replied with tears in her eyes, "Yes, it was!" Harris proceeded to pull the ring from
his pocket and presented it to Darling.
Darling
says that it's an absolute miracle and she thought for sure that there was no
way she would find her ring. She went on to say that she thinks in our world,
we often jump to the worst conclusion and this experience made her realize that
there are still good people out there with good character. Darling rewarded
Harris with all of the cash she was carrying in her wallet. I hope it was a few
hundred dollars because Harris could've made out with a few hundred for that
ring. He says, "My grandfather was a reverend. He raised me from the time
I was 6 months old, and thank the lord. It's a blessing, but I do still have
some character." That you do, Billy Ray Harris. Personally, I would’ve
gotten him a hotel room for a few nights so he can sleep in a warm bed, but
that’s just me. What an amazing story, though!
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