David and Linda were walking along the beach in Georgia when they spotted a bottle on the shore. It was in rough shape, but they pried it open and found a weathered piece of paper along with a few small sea shells. The letter had been written by a school-aged child and thought it would be fun to respond…but then they noticed that the letter had been written nearly 30 years ago!

They had her name, and while they had been trying different phone numbers, none of them were working. It had been nearly three decades, so they assumed she had changed her name or moved away from the area.

They shared the message on Facebook, and just a few days later, someone had a lead! Miranda had changed her name, but as soon as Linda sent this picture…Miranda responded!

Hello My name is Miranda Dawn Moss

I am 8 years old. I am in third grade at Foster Park Union S.C.,” the letter read.

The pair chatted about how incredible it was to get the message 29 years later. Linda thinks that the bottle must have been lodged in the rocks until it was pried free by hurricane Irma. The bottle had been in very bad shape and most likely wouldn’t have survived 30 years at sea on its own.

The story was heartwarming, and Miranda shared it with her three sons who can’t believe how cool their mom is now.

Linda plans to send the letter back, along with a few souvenirs from the island!

Credits: Linda Shouse Humphries