Would the kind soul who returned my purse last week please step up and be recognized as a towering example  of honesty and good neighborliness?

This mystery started Thursday when I missed my purse just before  driving two neighbors, my husband Joe and me to a lecture at the Episcopal Parish Hall.

After a minor panic attack, but having the car keys in my pocket, I drove anyway to the lecture and later to dinner at the neighbors.

By then it was too late to cancel all those cards modern life is burdened with.

After a sleep-deprived night, I was just preparing to cancel all when Joe came in the house from the garage with the purse slung over his shoulder.

“I decided to search the car one more time –and found your purse tucked under the visor on the driver’s side of the front seat.”

He had not put it there, nor had I, nor anyone we asked.    Who did?

Our only explanation:  we had been shopping at Island Market earlier that previous afternoon, then left the car in  the lot to do other errands.

It’s possible I had left the purse in the Market’s restroom. The sun roof was open. A kind soul found the purse with my name in it, went outside, recognized our car among many parked there and slipped the bag through the sun-roof and behind the visor.

No contents taken.

Huge relief.

Perhaps this can happen in other small neighborhoods, but certainly this typifies the best of our Orcas Island community.

Anne Hay

Eastsound