Man solves 72-year-old puzzle with the help of a Facebook group
There is something almost poetic about seeing pen put to paper; Writing your thoughts or desires takes time, effort and dedication. In a technology-driven world, it’s easy to connect with anyone around the world with a few taps on our keyboard, but writing a message takes more time and feels more personal. It’s not always the paper that a pen touches to send a message. Sometimes the vessel is more unique – like an egg.
CBS Sunday Morning brought us an interesting story today, and after hearing it, you’re not alone if you’re being asked to go to your local grocery store and buy a carton of eggs. John Amalfitano of Dunellen, New Jersey, says he has always felt a connection to antiques; A true collector, he has always been drawn to things that tell a story. So when he happened to spot an egg with fine cursive writing on it, it was a keepsake he knew meant a lot to him. The egg was a kind of call to action with a simple message on it:
“Whoever gets this egg, please write.”
The egg was signed by Miss Mary Foss, Forest City, IA, but more interesting than that was the date on the egg – April 2, 1951. The egg had been in the possession of Amalfitano’s neighbors for 50 years, and at one point he had his as him Once he picked it up, he kept it for another 20 minutes before sharing it in a Facebook group that is just as exciting as this story.
Weird (and wonderful) used finds that just have to be shared is an online space that invites anyone who finds wonderful, strange and warm-hearted used items to share them on the social media platform, and sometimes the story takes off.
Amalfitano shared the story on Facebook and within a day he was matched with Mary! The internet can certainly tell some horror stories about everything from stalker neighbors to love gone wrong, but in this case, the social media platform did everything we needed – it brought together a young woman who was just hoping , getting to know someone from a world far away than her own and a man who held on to a special piece of jewelry for years before jumping at the chance to help her finish her story.
The two met via video chat and it was as fun and adorable as you’d expect. When Mary was asked if she hoped to find a pen pal, she said she didn’t know exactly what she was looking for – but we all have dreams; She dreamed of finding something or someone new. With tears in her eyes as they spoke, it felt incredible watching Mary realize a dream, and when she was asked if she would like to meet John in person, we just fell in love with her even more.
“Well, I’d like to meet God, wouldn’t you?”
“John”
“Oh,” she laughed, “John. Not really; I don’t feel like getting to know the guy. He has a problem keeping an egg for so long.”
Her dream came true; She got to have a virtual meeting with a man who not only found her egg, but also showed her that the message she wrote a long time ago is important and that there is nothing better than the feeling of it have that the words you write mean something.
Here’s to Mary, John and a message in a bottle… er… on an egg.
