Woman Opens Envelope from Stranger, Finds Sweet Note and Photo of Her Cat Inside
Nowadays, it seems good neighbors are hard to find. Gone are the days when it was commonplace to call on your neighbor — a stranger — and ask for a cup of sugar.
Or maybe those days aren’t behind you just yet. Perhaps you live in a neighborhood “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” as the theme from “Cheers” goes.
Not every passerby who peers through your window does so with malicious intent. It might just be your neighbor looking for a friendly conversation or some companionship or simply a smile to brighten their day.
Jean just so happened to be one of those people. When she looked through the window of Karen Miele’s home in Nottingham in the United Kingdom, she hoped to see just one thing.
Miele’s cat “Chips” often sits in the window, looking out over the neighborhood. Nothing out of the ordinary, really, until one day something extra special was left for Miele and her feline friend.
Miele shared a photo of what she found by posting on social media, and soon her story went viral.
“I honestly didn’t think I would get more than about 5 likes on it!” Miele shared with The Dodo. “I’m still in shock.”
An old lady took a photo of my cat Chips, went to the trouble of getting it developed and then put it in our letterbox this morning ?? ? pic.twitter.com/JYkzU3W9Bn
— Mielebee (@mielebeep) May 10, 2019
Miele is referring to her tweet, which featured an image of an envelope and a printed photo of Chips in the windowsill.
“An old lady took a photo of my cat Chips, went to the trouble of getting it developed and then put it in our letterbox this morning,” Miele wrote on Twitter.
The included envelope reads, “For you — Your lovely cat. I always look for him. — Jean.” The tweet has been liked over 240K times and retweeted 26K times to date. Over 1K comments have been added.
One commenter wrote, “Imagine if more people were like this. The world would be a better place.” To which Miele replied, “So true. I haven’t had the best week and this simple gesture made me feel so much better.”
Miele has since been able to connect with Jean through their mutual friend, Laura Patterson. “I have invited her [Jean] round for some tea and to meet Chips whenever she likes,” Miele told The Dodo.
I went to show Jean the reaction to her photo of Chips. She was surprised to see it & was thrilled so many people liked it! ? pic.twitter.com/LxIyTJr1Kx
— Laura Patterson Photography (@LauraFreshPhoto) May 11, 2019
It seems the world has fallen in love with Chips the window-sitting cat and his sweet admirer. Miele even shared some photos of gifts sent by @MoonpigUK — including a mug with Chips’ photo!
“Thank you to the lovely people at @MoonpigUK who very kindly sent me this tea tin and Chips photo mug!” Miele tweeted. “I think her favourite among all the gifts might be the box.”
Thank you to the lovely people at @MoonpigUK who very kindly sent me this tea tin and Chips photo mug! ? I think her favourite among all the gifts might be the box pic.twitter.com/zC50yuN5Th
— Mielebee (@mielebeep) May 16, 2019
Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to Miele for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
What do you think of Jean’s gesture? Could this be the start of a beautiful neighborly friendship? If so, one day these ladies might say, “It all started with a cat.”
If you’d like to follow Chips online, visit her Instagram page.
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