Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — It's the start of a new week and it's a great time to remember all the good in the world.
The KSL.com "Make Your Week" column features uplifting stories sent in from people outside the newsroom. This week, we have two stories of people sacrificing their time or money to help out a stranger.
To share the stories that have made you smile, email them in 100 words or less to mdalrymple@ksl.com. Photos and videos are encouraged. Stories may be edited for clarity.
Police officer pays for man's gas out of his own pocket
Kaylene H.
"Shoutout to this Millcreek police officer— helping others, out of his own pocket! I wish that I would have looked at his badge to get his name. I pulled in at 7-Eleven at the same time that these officers were helping this man who had run out of gas. When I was getting out of my car, I noticed the officer pulling out his wallet. He swiped a card and started pumping the gas. I went inside to get my drink and I started thinking about what I had just seen and it made my heart happy. When I went outside, I stopped the officer and asked if he had just paid for the gas for that guy and he said yes. I am so lucky to live in a community where there is so much compassion!"
Stranger returns a lost phone to the owner
Kimberly G.
"The other night, my husband and I ran to the store to grab a couple items. Before going shopping, I used the restroom and left my phone on the toilet paper dispenser. After shopping for a half hour and paying for our items, I had the thought, 'check your phone.' As I reached into my bag, I instantly knew my phone was not in there. I knew I left it in the restroom.
"I raced back to the restroom to see if it was still there. Nothing. I hurried over to customer service and asked if a phone had been turned in to them in the last half hour. Nothing. My husband tried calling my phone, but there was no answer. I checked the restroom again and looked on the floor, on the toilet paper dispenser, everywhere. I walked out of the restroom thinking to myself, 'I lost my phone.' I returned to my husband and noticed he was talking to someone who had answered my phone. My phone had been found!
"When we called the first time, the man had already left the store, but he then came back to meet us and return the phone. We met him and in broken English, he told us his nephew had stolen the phone. He said he heard the phone ringing and since he knew his nephew didn't have a phone, he answered and returned it to me. The man shook our hands and smiled when we expressed our gratitude for returning the phone. I am beyond grateful to this man for his integrity and honesty. It would have been really easy to just deal with it later and I recognize it was a sacrifice of time on his part to help us out. It is so great knowing there are people out there who are good, honest humans."
