Steve Mershon was walking along the beach one day when he saw a plastic bottle in the sand. Most people probably would’ve passed it by, but not Steve. As an amateur photographer and a collector of oddities he finds on the beach, he noticed something special about the bottle. It contained a rolled-up piece of paper inside. When Steve shook the paper out, he discovered that it contained a letter written in childlike handwriting. It read: “Dear Daniel, I’m relly [sic] sorry that you passed away and if you were alive me and you would be playing football, soccer, and basketball and be playing with Mattew [sic] and Oscar and Brandon. I am in the fifth grade and you were my best friend and our favorite song was Austin Moon and I hope you [have] fun with Jesus. From your best freind [sic] Jonothon Torres.” After reading this, Steve couldn’t help but reply. And the fact that Steve wrote the boy a letter without even knowing who he was or where he lived moved me to tears. Read Steve’s touching note below.
“Dear Jonothan Torres. My name is Steve, and I found your note in a bottle on a beautiful Tuesday morning, April 19th. First of all, let me tell you what a strong little man you are for writing your best friend that letter. You show so much love in your heart way beyond your years.”
“I don’t know where you threw your note in the ocean, or how long it was in the water, but it landed in the right hands, Jonothan. You see, I find lots of things on the beach, and the best ones I keep. I have shelves full of wood, shells, sunglasses and, yes, bottles. Jonothan, your bottle, with your letter to your best friend, is the most beautiful thing I have ever found.”
“It would trump anything in my collection. But I can’t. Won’t. You threw that bottle out to show your love for your best friend. It is meant to be shared. I took pictures of it, and shared it with friends on my Facebook page. It tugged at many heartstrings, Jonothan. But it’s going to be shared with more people. Like I said, it fell into the right hands.”
“You see, I think Daniel put the bottle ashore where I found it, and his friend Jesus led me to it. I’ll tell you why. I’ve had plans for a few weeks to go way out on the ocean on a big cruise ship. I’m going to take your letter and your bottle with me. I’m going to add my own little letter to it, Jonothan, and put the cork back in it, and when I find the deepest, prettiest, most blue water I can find, I’m going to throw it back in.”
“So someone else, along with their friends, can see the love in your heart. You’re a good man, Jonothan. I’m hoping maybe, just maybe, the world can see the love in one fifth-grader’s heart, and we can, one by one, all get along. Peace, little man!”
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