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beachmoss
Member
| Joined: | Mon Nov 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | Simpsonville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 281 |
| First Name: | Beth | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Catholic (raised Baptist) |
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Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 06:50 pm |
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Here's the situation:
Two weeks ago my husband accompanied our son to a Cub Scout popcorn booth sale at a nearby gas station. They found a $20 bill on the ground near a pump. There was no one in the immediate vicinity, but they did ask a few people at nearby pumps if they had lost money. No one claimed the $20, so my husband decided to pocket it and split it between our kids.
When he told me (several hours later), I asked him why he didn't turn it in at the gas station. He said he didn't think about it, and that the attendant would have probably pocketed it anyway. He's most likely right, and I know there is not an easy way to track down the owner of cash; but had it been me, I would have turned it in. And had I lost a $20 bill I would have retraced my steps and even asked the attendant if anyone had turned in the money.
I told him that I could not condone giving it to the kids. He then suggested donating it to the Scouts. I'm kinda ok with that. And the second question is: count it as a donation on my son's form or count it toward the pack's donations from the booth sales?
I'm still bugged that he didn't seem to try harder to locate the person who lost it. Yet I also understand that it would have been difficult to impossible to return the money to the rightful owner.
Any insight is gratefully appreciated!
Beth
PS Why I am so long in questioning this? I had actually forgotten until he reminded me last night!
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David W. Emery
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2034 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 08:59 pm |
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In a public place like a gasoline station, Beth, where there is a lot of traffic and the person who lost the money is almost surely long gone (perhaps on a vacation trip, a thousand miles from home, and not likely to retrace his steps after a $20 bill that he didn’t discover was missing until 200 miles down the road — and then who knows where or when it might have happened), after a cursory check around the current customers, it’s finders keepers. No sin. It’s good, though not strictly necessary, that you have decided to donate the money.
I had a similar thing happen to me one day about 25 years ago. One morning I found over $100 in cash scattered all over the road in front of my home. There was nobody in sight, and nobody came looking for it. I told my confessor about it, and he said, “It’s your money now.”
Have a good day.
David
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beachmoss
Member
| Joined: | Mon Nov 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | Simpsonville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 281 |
| First Name: | Beth | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Catholic (raised Baptist) |
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Posted: Wed Oct 10th, 2007 10:11 pm |
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Thanks, David!
You've helped to set my mind at ease!
Beth
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Current time is 08:43 pm | |
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