8-Year-Old Puts Bottle with a Message in the Sea & 25 Years Later, It Makes Its Way Back to Her

The notion of finding a bottle with a message while walking on the beach has always been a romantic idea, it was definitely a surprise for it to have been found decades later. This story begins when an eight-year-old puts a bottle with a message in the sea and twenty-five years later, it makes its way back to her.

When Joanna Buchan was just eight years old, she participated in a school project in 1996. The class had written letters and then placed them in pop bottles.

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Together, the class dropped these bottles into the big blue from a fishing boat off her Peterhead, Aberdeenshire of Scotland. Joanna then forgot about the class project as she grew up and eventually became a doctor.

But his little Sprite bottle floated through decades of time and over 800 miles when it landed in Gasvaer, Norway, and into the hands of Elena Andreassen Haga. She had been out picking berries and looking for trash to collect. When she saw the bottle, she spied the note nestled inside. She read the letter and was tickled to read the childish writing talking of teddy bears, making little animals out of Blu Tack, and how she very much despised boys.

“I was very excited," Elena recalled. "You never know—is it just from another small island in the area, or what could be inside. I sent Joanna a message the same day we found the bottle and forgot about it after that holiday. I didn’t immediately understand who she was, and then the conversation lit up when I sent her the picture of the letter.”

Searching For The Letter's Author

Elena looked up Joanna by the way of Facebook and sent a photo of the letter. And that’s when Joanna said she was stunned because she had no idea what she would’ve written about. But as all memories do, the cobwebs of her memory were wiped away when she saw a photo of her letter.

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Joanna said, “At first I didn’t remember the message in a bottle, but then I started to have a vague recollection of a project we did at school. It was a dusty memory but once I saw the letter I knew right away it was me, I recognized my handwriting, which is definitely not as neat now.” She added, “I just died with laughter when I read it back, especially the way I ended it with ‘by the way, I hate boys.’”

Joanna couldn’t help but laugh about the things that her eight-year-old self had written about.

Not only was she stunned to learn it had been found but that it had survived 25 years in sea, but she then felt prompted to reach out to her teacher, Edith Skinner.

Bottle With A Message

Edith was delighted the bottle had been found. And Edith was proud to learn Joanna had gone on to grow up and become a doctor.

Edith responded to tell Joanna: “Your handwriting is just as l remember - neat and beautifully formed. The fact you mentioned our next project 'Charlotte's Web' brought back many happy memories of the lovely artwork on the wall. I am so proud to hear you are a doctor and I do hope you look back on your childhood years at Peterhead Central School with affection and happy memories.”

This letter surprised its “discoverer” Elena. But it also warmed Joanna’s teacher that her school projects had a ripple effect over time. But perhaps even more special was the fact one of her students grew up to do great things to help others like becoming a doctor.

Isn't it amazing how some childhood memories like schoolwork, school projects, and messages in a bottle can create new memories right along with old ones? Just like God’s word is a love letter to us that stretches over 2,000 years. Yet his message to us is one and the same, his love for us will stand the test of time.

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This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 2 Peter 3:1-2

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h/t: The Epoch Times

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/BBC News | Facebook/Joanna Buchan

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.