Sometimes it is very hard, in this uncivil time, to find a reason to believe in the goodness of people. I found a reason last Friday.

My family celebrated my sister’s 65th birthday on Aug. 8 in Portland with dinner at Otto’s, followed by a trip through the Renys store on the way to the civic center to see Cirque du Soleil. Somewhere along the way, I lost a very special bracelet that had been given to me by my husband. I worried that I would never find it, that it was gone forever.

In the morning, I called the three places that we had visited. No one had found my bracelet. I left my name and phone number, not feeling very optimistic.

Later in the morning, I received a phone call from a Renys employee. She told me that they had my bracelet, that someone had turned it in at one of their cash registers. I was thrilled and, especially, impressed that someone decided not to keep my fairly expensive bracelet and, instead, turned it in to the store.

When I went to Renys to pick up my bracelet, I gave the store employee a hug since I couldn’t give one to the person who did this good deed. It is wonderful to live in Maine, where people are still civil and look out for one another.

Thank you, good person, whoever you are.

Prentiss Weiss

Brunswick