Lost Envelope Found - Story of what happened when I found a lost envelope

The other day I was getting home from work and as I was walking up to my building I saw a blue rectangle on the ground in the landscaped area. I always clean up garbage around the property so I walked over to it and picked it up.

It was an envelope with someone's name on the front and a return address sticker on the back. There was no stamp or postal marking so it looked like a card that was going to be handed over in person.

The card itself was sealed and it had some thickness to it. I shook it around and it appeared to have more than just a a single card in it.

I thought about what my options were. I didn't know who it was for but I did have the return address.

I decided to see if I could find some contact information for the name on the back. With a quick internet search I was able to find a phone number. I didn't know if the number would actually be right, but I figured I would give it a try.

Also in the mean time, I pulled up the security camera footage in front of our building to see if I could track down where it came from. After a little digging, I actually found it. It turns out someone pulled up to pick someone up and when they stepped out of the car, the envelope fell on the ground. I still didn't know who they were, but I decided to give them a call at the number I found.

So the next day I called the number and the person picked up. I confirmed their name and asked if they lost a card the other day. They said yes and confirmed where they lost it. I told them I would like to get it back to them. We arranged for her to come by later that day to pick it up.

When she came by, she was very relieved and thankful because the card was important. She said it was for a widow and it was going to be given to them at a funeral. She said that it had money inside so she was very thankful that I made the effort to return it to her. She gave be $20 cash as a thank you. I told her she didn't have to but she insisted so that was very nice of her.

Overall I am happy with my decision to get in contact with her to return the lost card. In situations like this, you have to put yourself in their shoes. If you lost an important card like that and someone found it, wouldn't you hope that they would try to get it back to you? If you ever find something like this, I recommend trying to return it to the owner. You will save the day and you might even be rewarded for your efforts!