Boy Leaves $5 and Heartbreaking Note on Woman's Doorstep
Christina Reitz of Washington lost her wind chime. But instead of anger, she felt sympathy for the person who took it who turned out to be a little girl. She was even impressed with the girl's older brother who tried to make things right and is now helping them out in the most challenging phase of their lives yet.
According to Reitz, she heard a knock on her door over a week ago, and when she checked it, found a note on her doorstep with a $5 bill inserted in it.
"I am sorry that we stole your wind chime," the note read. "Our mom died and liked butterflies, so my sister took it to put it by our window. I am sorry; this is only money I have. Please do not be mad at us. Jake."
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Jake's story and gesture touched Reitz so much that she opened a Facebook page called "Jake's Butterflies of Hope" to find the two siblings.
On Thursday, the kids' relative messaged her. "Their aunt found the group. I spoke with [Jake] and he kept apologizing and did not want his little sister to be in trouble either," she said.
"My heart broke for them," Reitz told Inside Edition, prompting her to launch a GoFundMe page to raise money after learning that the kids had to relocate to "get their lives back in a normal state again." The initiative has raised $2,263 of the $10,000 target as of March 16.
"You have stood up and done a brave thing by apologizing. There are grown men who won't do that," Reitz wrote in her note to Jake in GoFundMe. She's looking forward to meeting Jake so she can return his money and give him another wind chime so that he and his sister will each have a memento to remind them of their mother.
