Some live by the adage “finder’s keepers, losers weepers,” but one California woman who recently found $36,000 hidden in the cushion of a gifted couch lives by a far more biblical mantra.
Vicky Umodu recently moved into a new home and lacked furniture, so she turned to the internet to find available furnishings. After encountering a family who wanted to give away a sofa and bedroom set, Umodu was elated.
“I just moved in, and I don’t have anything in my house,” she told KABC-TV. “I was so excited, so we picked it up and brought it in.”
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But Umodu said she noticed something odd hidden in one of the couch cushions.
She unzipped it and found envelopes filled with thousands of dollars in cash — a truly astonishing discovery.
“I was just telling my son, ‘Come, come, come!’” she recalled. “I was screaming, ‘This is money!’”
While some would certainly be tempted to keep the cash, Umodu immediately knew she needed to contact the people who gave her the couch and return the money.
“God has been kind to me and my children; they’re all alive and well,” she told KABC-TV. “I have three beautiful grandchildren, so what can I ever ask from God?”
The family was shocked to hear the news, as the couch and furniture belonged to a loved one who had died. They discovered other money hidden around the individual’s home, but nothing like the sum Umodu found.
In the end, her good deed paid off, too. While Umodu said she wasn’t expecting anything in return, the family offered to buy her a new refrigerator and gifted her $2,200.
Even if Umodu walked away empty-handed, she did the right thing.
In a culture so totally and completely enraptured by the “self,” she looked beyond her wants and returned a large sum of money that would have likely gone unseen and unknown by the family.
This is a powerful example not only of selflessness but also of gratitude. Umodu recognized her blessings and that the money didn’t belong to her. It’s a simple story with a powerful and motivating lesson for us all.
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