There’s something so special about the toys you have as a kid.
As you grow older, so many memories fade, but that nostalgia about playing as a little one keeps your early childhood memories as clear as ever.
And for most kids, one toy usually stands out among all the rest. Maybe it’s a dress-up costume or a pair of beloved roller skates, or even a stuffed animal like little McKenzy’s special giraffe.
Ultimately, when you’re a little one, all that really matters is the fun and wonderful memories you create with your favorite plaything. Kids, as we all know, don’t care about how much something costs; they can have as much fun with a cardboard box as with an expensive doll!
But for one little girl in Minnesota, it was all fun and games until a mean-spirited crook decided to steal her favorite toy, a pretty pink bike that she rode everywhere.
She was devastated, until her guardian angels showed up and changed the whole story for the better!
[H/T: Love What Matters]
It all started when a little girl named Alena rode her beautiful pink bike to school and left it on the bike rack.
She left at the end of the day, and only to discover that her bike was gone.
Distraught, she told her mom, who took her to the local secondhand store to buy some books as a pick-me-up.
On their way to the store, they spotted a very familiar bike lodged in a tree.
It was unmistakably Alena's beloved pink bike, and her mom Chela told Love What Matters, "…she ran over to where her bike was and instantly became extremely upset.."
Alena and her mom took a closer look at how the bike had ended up in the tree, they discovered that it was badly damaged by the thief.
As you can see from this picture, the front of the bike wasn't too bad, but the back tire was pulled almost entirely off of the rim.
The bike's chain was snapped and dangling from the tree, and the frame of the bike was twisted. Mother and daughter could tell that the bike was beyond repair.
Said Chela, "Her bike was banged up really badly and mangled."
Little Alena was distraught about the loss, but mom Chela was irate and furious that someone would find it funny to destroy a little girl's bike for kicks, especially since the bike had sentimental value for Alena.
Chela adds, "…she loved that bike, not only because kids love their bikes, but because it was a gift from a very close friend that she doesn't see anymore. All I could think about was who could do such a thing."
Distressed, the mother and daughter called the police in their town of Winona, MN.
They filed a report about the theft and property damage, then went about the rest of their day, still shaken by the incident.
They didn't expect that the police would be able to do much about Alena's bike, but were glad they at least made the report.
Then, at dinner time, they heard a knock on the door.
“It was the police officer that took the report of her missing bike, he asked if he could see Alena. So I called her out to see what the officer wanted, he told her that it broke his heart to see how hurt by this she was, and how sorry he was that this happened. He said that sometimes bad things happen to good people for no reason, and don’t let anger and hate into your heart, good things will start to happen.”
Lo and behold, the police officer produced a brand-new bike for Alena, complete with awesome streamers on the handlebars. Her mom was moved by the gesture, writing,
“All I could think about at that moment was how amazing this man was, not only did this officer not have to come back and talk to my daughter, but he most certainly didn’t have to go out and buy her a brand new bike! I am forever grateful to the Winona Police Department and the officer that made my daughter go to bed happy…. Thank you!”
If this sweet and thoughtful gesture makes you thankful for the brave men and women who worry about problems big and small in their communities, make sure to SHARE!
