Having your personal belongings stolen is always painful, especially when those items were worth hundreds of dollars. For Mara Soriano, though, what she lost was worth more than money could buy – a bear with her late mother’s voice in it. All she wanted was to get it back, so the internet and Ryan Reynolds made that happen.

A Heartbreaking Theft

In late July, a bag containing Mara’s iPad, Nintendo Switch, and citizenship card was stolen while she attended to a friend in need. The woman was heartbroken by the crime, but it wasn’t because she’d lost material possessions. A bear that contained a recording of her mom saying: “Part of me will always be with you forever” was also in the bag. After losing her mother to cancer, that stuffed animal was all Mara had left of her, so she desperately wanted it back.

Celebrity Help

Following the theft, Mara put up posters saying that she didn’t care about anything else in the bag; she just wanted the bear. When she posted a picture of it on Twitter, she quickly got thousands of comments and retweets. It soon came to the attention of actor Ryan Reynolds who tweeted an offer of $5,000 to whoever had stolen the bag. He said there would be no questions asked, in the hopes that the criminal would do the right thing.

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Thankfully, it seems that Reynolds, with the help of the internet, made Mara’s dream a reality. Two people returned the bear to her several days later, saying they knew who’d stolen it and convinced them to give it back. Mara was delighted, even if it meant that the thief got away with their crime. Getting to hear her mom’s voice again was all that truly mattered.

We’re grateful to Reynolds and everyone who helped put the word out so Mara and her bear could be reunited.

The world is currently trying to get back onto its feet after dealing with the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t mean that things can go back to normal. Visiting friends and family and even visiting restaurants and cafes will never be the same again, and many people are struggling to get used to this “new normal.” However, there are many restaurants across the globe who are trying to help people understand this new world — and this particular restaurant is using pandas.

Taking Its Toll

Covid-19 has taken a serious toll on the restaurant industry, and while many eateries across the globe have closed their doors for weeks and even months on end, some are now trying to get their businesses back up and running. Maison Saigon in Thailand is one of those restaurants trying to do that, as they want people back under their roof and tasting their delicious Vietnamese cuisine. However, they are not ignorant of the fact that many people are still wary about leaving their houses and eating out. Thankfully, they have come up with a genius idea to make people feel comfortable.

Sitting With Pandas

In fact, their idea serves two different purposes. To ensure that their customers are socially distanced from each other, they have placed adorable stuffed pandas on various chairs around the restaurant to make sure that people aren’t getting too close to each other. These pandas take up space so that the restaurant doesn’t get overcrowded, but they also serve as companions to those who may feel lonely being so far away from their friends, family, and other customers. After all, who wouldn’t want to eat their noodles while sitting in front of a cute and cuddly panda?

It’s genius ideas like this that will help the world get back on its feet after a tough few months.