Now here’s a nice story courtesy of news site The Huffington Post.

A couple named Riphagen lost some gold rings years ago. Recently they received a letter which went as follows:

Mr. and Mrs. Riphagen,

I am writing you to apologize for being in possession of something I am sure you truly value and miss. I was at a party in your home many years ago and regretfully, stupidly took something that I should not have.

I recently found these rings while cleaning and I wanted to make sure to return them as I’m sure they were missed dearly. I had looked through old yearbooks to find your daughters then researched online and could only find that you worked at —–. I hope you are the right Riphagen family.

Again, I am so truly sorry for any pain, heartache that my actions may have caused your family. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. As an adult I realize how sentimental items like this can be.

Sincerely regretful,

A dumb kid who wants to right a wrong.

Four gold rings were enclosed with the letter: the mother’s wedding ring, a ring the father gave the mother when their first child was born and one set of grandparents’ wedding bands that had been intended for the children when they reached adulthood. The rings were stolen during a party one of the now-adult children threw during high school about 15 years ago.

The letter was first shared by the Riphagen’s daughter on Facebook as a way of thanking the anonymous sender. From there it has gradually gone viral.

We know we are in the realm of The Judgement card when someone is not only sorry for a past mistake but takes action to remedy the damage they caused. And we know we are experiencing a high form of this card when the family from whom the goods were stolen shows compassion towards the thief and is just grateful that the items have been returned.

If you had stolen goods returned would you want to know the identity of the thief? Would you want to see them punished? That is a natural reaction after all. Has anything like this ever happened to you?