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RESTITUTION

When Dave and Sharon McCaulley owned a restaurant years ago, they suspected someone was stealing from them. They left the restaurant business in 1981, and forgot about the thefts until recently when a letter with five $100 bills arrived.

The letter was postmarked Omaha, Nebraska. The note inside was scribbled on a piece of lined paper torn from a spiral notebook. It read, "I'm a former employee that worked for you at the Villager Restaurant when I was a kid many years ago. I used to steal money from you. Never very much at a time, but I know it all adds up. I figure that the money plus interest might add up to $500, so that is what I have sent. Merry Christmas." The note was signed, "Former employee."

David McCauley now works for a veterinary supply company. He says the letter gave few clues about the former employee's identity. McCaulley told friends the former employee likely stole even more than he admitted, but adds that is not the point.

"I'm not angry" McCaulley says, "I really feel touched by this. With all the news in the world that's dark and gloomy, here's something good that happens." He says "It's just kind of neat, that after 23 years, somebody cared enough to do something like that."

—Associated Press, Worker Returns Money Stolen 23 Years Ago, December 10, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 6:30-31 (NASB) “Men do not despise a thief if he steals To satisfy himself when he is hungry; [31] But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; He must give all the substance of his house.”