Occasionally, the universe surprises us with small miracles. During a family trip to Block Island, a beloved ring slipped off a vacationer’s finger, lost somewhere between the beach and the waves. After hours of searching, the vacationers accepted the inevitable, and at the end of the day they sadly went home on the ferry.

They had to accept that the ring was gone, likely destined to swim with the fishes forever. However, thanks to a kindhearted beachcomber with a metal detector, spending her time in the sun searching for lost treasures, the ring was found and turned in to a local lost-and-found group. They posted a photo online, and someone recognized it.

A message was sent to the owner, and soon the ring made its way back home, a little saltier perhaps, but none the worse for wear. Now this precious symbol of love was back where it belonged thanks to the kindness of a stranger. The person who found it cared enough to get it back to them rather than keep this expensive item for themselves. It is a reminder that there are still good people doing quiet, beautiful things.

Then there is the Facebook group that was formed called “Found on the Guadalupe River” after the recent devastation in Texas. After the flash floods hit the area, a wave of great loss swept through the region, not just because of lives and homes lost, but because of the many treasured memories and irreplaceable personal items that were lost. Amid all of this heartbreak, one woman created this Facebook group to try to make a difference. Dondi Persyn, a vintage shop owner from Boerne, started this simple Facebook group, and what happened next was nothing short of miraculous.

Within days, over 40,000 people joined the group, forming a virtual community of volunteers and neighbors determined to help each other recover what they could. It was not just about finding stuff, but it was about helping people find pieces of their lives which were lost in the flood. Volunteers began sifting through water, mud, downed trees, upside down cars, and other waterlogged debris, gently collecting anything they could find that looked important, a family photo album, a silver teapot, children’s toys, a guitar still in its case, an urn with ashes still inside, and numerous other precious items. Each item was carefully cleaned, and a picture was posted online in the hopes that someone, somewhere, would recognize it.

Dondi herself could be seen at a laundromat in Kerrville, washing items by hand, quietly, tenderly, as if restoring something sacred. To her, these items were not just things. They were personal stories. They were identity. “These are remnants of memory, identity, and deep love,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “This is Texas—everybody is my family.”

The reunions with their precious item began. One woman was able to reclaim a beloved charm bracelet from her youthful days when she went to Camp Mystic. A man recovered exquisite artwork from his family’s river house, which had been completely swept away. Another family was reunited with jewelry that held great sentimental value. An aspiring musician was thrilled to see that his beloved guitars had been restored and were still usable. One family was thrilled that their daughter’s stuffed teddy bear was clean and fluffy again. They had lost their house, but their five-year-old daughter found comfort in that stuffed animal. It was even reported that a totem pole was found floating in the river, and it was cleaned and returned to its rightful owner.

The Facebook group continues to find valuable items stuck deep in the mud, and under fallen walls and house remnants. People continue to post pictures of what they have found, and others post heartfelt pleas for what they have lost. In the middle the recovery chaos is Dondi, quietly connecting people, and donating her time, along with so many others, to bring even a nominal amount of comfort to those who have lost so much.