A professor who was jogging on the beach of Montalivet stumbled upon a message in a bottle sent from the United States in March 2022.
Jean Rouchaud certainly did not expect to make such a discovery when he went for his jog on Wednesday, January 3, on a beach in Montalivet (Gironde). This geography and history teacher from Périgord found a bottle from the ocean during his run.
Covered with shells, the bottle contained a letter inside. "This morning, by chance, I saw a bottle. There was something inside it, with writing. I brought it home and opened it," the professor told France 3.
The letter contained a touching message from a daughter to her deceased father. Jodi Thomas wrote this letter in English. But what surprised Jean was the letter's origin and the date it was sent: the message was dispatched on March 19, 2022, from Provincetown, in Boston Bay, United States.
In the letter, she explained that "her father was the light of her life." The father was a boat captain, "he was a pilot in the port of Boston, apparently," detailed Jean Rouchaud. "There's something quite mystical and intimate, but at the same time, it's quite universal," the professor explained.
The Letter's Author Contacted on Social Media
"You are my legend. Everyone who knew you loved, admired, and respected you for what you were. You were generous and fundamentally kind. I am more than proud to have been your daughter. We know that time changes everything, nothing remains the same, but my love and admiration for you will always be there," read the letter.
After searching for the young woman on social media, Jean Rouchaud eventually managed to contact her. The American woman responded quickly. "She confirmed everything I had deduced about her father's life. And she explained that when she was overwhelmed by grief, she wrote to him," the professor recounts.
Published on the Facebook page of the municipality of Montalivet, the discovery stirred strong emotions among the residents who came together to translate the letter.
