Dear Source,
I must write to profess my gratitude to a real hero of St. Thomas, Mr. Lawrence Griffiths, who works at the Federal Court. On Saturday May 5th I went from Tortola to St. Thomas to go shopping and lost my purse containing a debit card, my insurance card, and three hundred and fifty dollars. I searched for it where I had previously been but could not find it, and so gave up my search and returned on an early ferry to Tortola. I assumed I would never see my purse again, and cancelled my bank card. Everyone whom I told my story to, including several people from St. Thomas, assured me that even if I found my wallet again the money would be gone from it.
On Tuesday 8th May Mr. Lawrence Griffiths contacted my bank to report that he had found my card, and he left a telephone number where I could reach him. Today I called him and he told me that he had found my purse and is returning it to me, completely intact, with all the money in it. Mr. Lawrence Griffiths has restored my faith in the human spirit. So often in the world it seems that people are without caring or consideration for each other. Mr. Griffiths is a stranger to me but he has done me a kindness that I am not sure even a close friend would have done. I want all the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands to know that your islands contain beautiful people with good hearts and real love for humanity. What Mr. Griffiths has done is restore a little bit of wholeness to a very fragmented world. These words I write cannot properly convey my gratitude to him. His act cannot be measured by the value of the money in my purse, because it does not matter if there was one dollar in it or one million. What matters is that he did not keep any of it .Thank you Mr. Griffiths, for making me believe that when you least expect it is when people, like yourself, are capable of the best , and that people are a real vehicle for miracles. If there is any civic award for which you are eligible, I will do my utmost to see that you attain it. But your real reward is knowing that you are a brave human being, who has been honest and true when it has not been asked of you, when no one was looking, so to speak. You are your own best award. Thank you.
Natalie Douglas
Tortola
