The BP oil spill and the war in Afghanistan don’t instantly appear to have much in common, but an almost magical message in a bottle has created a link between these two tragedies, and brought some unexpected joy to two groups of people processing seemingly disparate tragedies they never imagined.
This heartwarming tale began last Christmas when Sarah Adams and her family traveled to Barbados from their home in Wales. Adams’ son, British Army Pvt. James Prosser, had died in Afghanistan that September and the clan couldn’t bear to spend the holiday at home, achingly mourning his absence on what used to be a joyful holiday.
While in the Barbados, Adams her crew (including her daughter and son and the daughter’s boyfriend) decided to channel their grief into letters, each writing James a deeply personal, heartfelt note. When they were done, they stuffed the notes into a Sambuca bottle (James’ drink of choice) and emotionally flung the bottle into the sea, not really expecting to ever see it again.
But on July 15th, that bottle unexpectedly reappeared in a most unexpected spot, Mississippi, and was discovered by a crew cleaning up the BP oil spill. A team working for Progressive Pipe Management found the bottle and discovered the letters inside, dry but slightly illegible. They were immediately moved by their contents.
“It’s taken everybody by heart. It’s amazing how we’re thousands of miles away but how we’re drawn so close by something we’re all affected by,” crew chief Doug Kirchoff told the South Wales Argus newspaper.
“All of us out here come from different backgrounds, different walks of life, and we’re all here for the common good — to help the environment and to make this place a better place, as was (James) serving in wars,” Kirchoff also told the Press-Register. “We’re all drawn together in times of need, it’s a truly amazing story.”
Patty Kraft of the National Park Service contacted the family via the Argus newspaper and Adams was predictably stunned to discover not only that her letters had been found but that they had struck such an emotional chord.
“It’s extraordinary where it is and the timing of it with everything in the paper. I’m amazed by it,” she told the Argus. “Sometimes I feel disheartened and miserable about life but there are people there and people who we’ve met who are so caring and thoughtful.”
Two separate tragedies find some hopeful common ground.
Photo by just4you via stock.xchang.