A boy’s discovery of a valuable ring in a parking lot is going viral for a heartwarming reason
10-year-old returns lost diamond with a thoughtful note, reminding everyone that honesty and kindness still make a difference.
If you stumbled upon an expensive-looking ring on the ground in a parking lot, how would you react? Most of us would do the right thing and try to return it to its rightful owner, though a small minority might be tempted to keep it.
Luckily for Mae Pratzel, 10-year-old Kal Blank falls into the first category.
Lost ring’s sentimental value
Blank found the ring in a Costco parking lot in Manchester, Missouri, during a recent shopping trip with his dad. When he got home, his mother explained the likely importance of the piece of jewelry to whoever had lost it.
Pratzel had lost the ring earlier, which slipped off after she lost weight following surgery. The ring’s center stone was the original diamond from an engagement ring given to her nearly five decades ago, giving it huge sentimental value, especially with her 50th wedding anniversary coming up in December.
Speaking to St. Louis news outlet KSDK, Mae described losing the ring as “one of the most awful feelings,” even though she tried to tell herself it was “just a thing.”
10-year-old’s thoughtful return
But Pratzel didn’t have to wait long for the ordeal to end. Kal’s mother, Dr. Kelli Blank, called the Costco store and was told a ring matching the description had been reported missing.
Rather than simply returning it to the store, 10-year-old Kal decided on a more personal approach. He polished the ring, placed it in a special box his mother had brought back from a trip to Ireland, and wrote Mae a note. In it, he admitted he “kind of wanted to keep it ‘cause it was pretty and shiny” but hoped Pratzel would be able to “relax now that you have your ring back.”
A heartwarming meeting
The feel-good story didn’t end there. After calling the Blanks to thank them for returning the ring, Mae insisted on meeting Kal in person, which happened shortly afterward.
“You don’t know how special you are to me!” Pratzel told the youngster, whom she described as an “extremely special kid.”
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