Honesty IS the best policy.

I looked out my kitchen window and something was missing.  Our mailbox!  It was gone!

I said to Sofie, "Holy cow, someone hit our mailbox!"  She said she'd heard a crunching sound earlier and saw a black truck driving off.  I was mad.  Thus began a bitter diatribe about honesty, or the lack of it, in society.  I'm sure you're all wishing you could've heard it:).

I was putting on my shoes to check the damage while dialing Ben's number at work.

All of a sudden, who should pull up, but a black truck.

He came back!

It's amazing how fast a heart can change.  The instant that sweet teenage boy got out of his car, I was full of mercy.  He rang the bell and confessed with a shaky, terrified voice.  Oh, sweet boy.  I comforted him.  I made him laugh.  What I really wanted to do was put my arms around him,  BUT, you know, that would probably be a little awkward for him, so I took down his number instead (for reasons of my own), and sent him on his way to school.

Ben fixed it good as new (a few inches shorter than normal).

I was so anxious to share this experience with the kids after school.  This was a teaching moment if I've ever had one.  I'm sure I will reference this moment countless times in my children's lives:

A boy--a teenager, no less--hits a mailbox.

Not knowing if his head will get torn off by his neighbors, 

HE DOES THE RIGHT THING,

He tells the truth when it would've been SO EASY to lie,

notwithstanding his fear,

notwithstanding the possible consequences.

Bless that boy!

It's funny to say that I'll be forever grateful to him for the personal lesson he taught our family.

Just to reinforce my gratitude, we wrote him a note telling him how cool we thought he was.  We gushed.  Our parting line read: "Hopefully one day you'll be able to 'snicker' about this.  Thanks for what you did!"  Then we taped a Snicker candy bar on the envelope.

(okay, this pose is a little too Price is Right-ish, even for me...)

The kids and I hand-delivered our note, after I called to get directions to his home.  His mother stood in the doorway beside him.  They were so kind, a little embarrassed, but so sweet.  We had a nice chat.

The kids and I left that front porch feeling like a million bucks.  It's so fun to do something unexpected for someone else.  It feels so good.

I'm hoping this left an impression, not only on my own kids, but on him, too, that it pays to be honest.  Whether it's chocolate, or a reward in heaven, the blessings come.