In my blog entitled "Message In A Bottle Pt. 2, I shared the story of the bottle of Dorothee Hochberg (I spelled her first name wrong in that blog, sorry!), which was found on an island near the Philippines, under the protective flipper of a dead sea lion...and that there was much more to the story. I said that I would share the rest of the story, if any of my "blog" readers wanted me to.
I heard from Jim Watson, or was it his brother Mike (I always get the two of them confused!), and he said that he wanted to know more. It is good to know that many of you are reading my "blog". Please feel to add your stories and comments.
Back to the story…it was in 1980 that I informed Dorothee about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her bottle, and I noticed that she had the strangest look on her face. I asked her if there was anything the matter. She told me that she wanted to share a story with me, that I probably not believe. Now, being a LOVER of great and unbelievable "stories", I begged her to continue.
Well, it seems that a few years before the "Bicentennial", she and her granddaughter were walking along a Southern California beach when they noticed a large crowd of people standing around and starring at something. They went over to investigate and saw a very sick seal pup being teased by some young boys. She immediately told the boys to stop their harassment and asked her young granddaughter to stay with the injured pup while she went to call "The Fish and Game". Once the authorities arrived, the two "good Samaritans" left and never really heard the plight of the little sea creature they had saved.
Now, Dorothee sat back and, with a big smile said, "I somehow believe that the dead sea lion in the Philippines, was the same one that my granddaughter and I saved a few years back and that it "somehow" knew which of the bottles was "our" bottle and followed it on its journey to that deserted island and laid its flipper on it to make sure that it was safe, until someone would eventually find it!"
Even I, with my vast imagination, found this story to be beyond probability, but I told Dorothee that it would make a great children's story and encouraged her to write it, hopefully with the help of her granddaughter.
Well, time passed and I forgot about this conversation with Dorothee. One evening in 2002, I was working at another of my part time Catalina jobs (almost everyone who works here has two, three or many different jobs…I have had and still have many) as a host (as opposed to a hostess) at the Country Club Restaurant (the original headquarters for the "Chicago Cubs" baseball team, when they had their "Spring Training", between 1921-51).
One of our serving staff came over to me and said that one of her tables was disturbing some of the other guests. I asked what the problem was and she told me that the people at her table were crying uncontrollably and she didn't know what the problem was. I knew that I had to find out what the situation was, but I didn't know how to address it.
Luckily, a few minutes later, a group of ladies from that table came by me on their way to the restrooms. I could tell that they were still very upset and had obviously been sobbing. As tactfully as I could, I went up to them and asked if "anything was the matter?" They told me that their mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, who had been a long time Island resident, had recently died and they were going to throw her ashes into the ocean the next day. For whatever reason, they had been out of touch with her for a number of years and had hoped to have some "uplifting stories" to tell about her life, so that the service would have more meaning. She had been quite ill and her life, especially at the end, was not something that they wanted to dwell on, but they didn't have any other stories to tell at the service. I asked them the deceased woman's name and they said "Dorothee Hochberg".
HOO! BOY, DID I HAVE A STORY TO TELL THEM!
After extending my condolences as I hadn't heard about Dorothee's death. I then proceeded to tell them the sea lion and the bottle story…and from the looks on their faces you would have thought that they had won the lottery! They now had an "UPBEAT" story to tell about Dorothee at tomorrow's Neptune Society burial! To be more accurate, they ALL smiled except ONE whose "flood gates" really opened up. When she finally calmed down, I apologized for having upset her and asked what I had said that caused her to be so terribly sad, after all, I thought it was a pretty heartwarming story.
She quickly regained her composure and in an almost apologetic tone assured me that she wasn't upset, but overjoyed! (As a male, I have NEVER been able to tell the difference between whether a woman is crying out of happiness or out of sadness. This will be one of the first questions that I will ask God, when I get to Heaven! Of course in Heaven, since there is nothing but happiness, my question will likely be "moot"!) "You see", she explained", "I am "that" granddaughter, with whom she found the sea lion on that beach all those years ago! I never heard about the bottle episode from my Grandmother but now I feel so much closer to her because of that beautiful story! Thank You!"
You know, I guess there are "some" benefits of getting older, as long as you still have your "gray matter" upstairs (and I don't mean hair!). I was able to "reunite" a family with their “passed” loved one, just because of a bottle launching celebrating America’s 200th Birthday those years before.
Back to the story…it was in 1980 that I informed Dorothee about the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her bottle, and I noticed that she had the strangest look on her face. I asked her if there was anything the matter. She told me that she wanted to share a story with me, that I probably not believe. Now, being a LOVER of great and unbelievable "stories", I begged her to continue.
Well, it seems that a few years before the "Bicentennial", she and her granddaughter were walking along a Southern California beach when they noticed a large crowd of people standing around and starring at something. They went over to investigate and saw a very sick seal pup being teased by some young boys. She immediately told the boys to stop their harassment and asked her young granddaughter to stay with the injured pup while she went to call "The Fish and Game". Once the authorities arrived, the two "good Samaritans" left and never really heard the plight of the little sea creature they had saved.
Now, Dorothee sat back and, with a big smile said, "I somehow believe that the dead sea lion in the Philippines, was the same one that my granddaughter and I saved a few years back and that it "somehow" knew which of the bottles was "our" bottle and followed it on its journey to that deserted island and laid its flipper on it to make sure that it was safe, until someone would eventually find it!"
Even I, with my vast imagination, found this story to be beyond probability, but I told Dorothee that it would make a great children's story and encouraged her to write it, hopefully with the help of her granddaughter.
Well, time passed and I forgot about this conversation with Dorothee. One evening in 2002, I was working at another of my part time Catalina jobs (almost everyone who works here has two, three or many different jobs…I have had and still have many) as a host (as opposed to a hostess) at the Country Club Restaurant (the original headquarters for the "Chicago Cubs" baseball team, when they had their "Spring Training", between 1921-51).
One of our serving staff came over to me and said that one of her tables was disturbing some of the other guests. I asked what the problem was and she told me that the people at her table were crying uncontrollably and she didn't know what the problem was. I knew that I had to find out what the situation was, but I didn't know how to address it.
Luckily, a few minutes later, a group of ladies from that table came by me on their way to the restrooms. I could tell that they were still very upset and had obviously been sobbing. As tactfully as I could, I went up to them and asked if "anything was the matter?" They told me that their mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, who had been a long time Island resident, had recently died and they were going to throw her ashes into the ocean the next day. For whatever reason, they had been out of touch with her for a number of years and had hoped to have some "uplifting stories" to tell about her life, so that the service would have more meaning. She had been quite ill and her life, especially at the end, was not something that they wanted to dwell on, but they didn't have any other stories to tell at the service. I asked them the deceased woman's name and they said "Dorothee Hochberg".
HOO! BOY, DID I HAVE A STORY TO TELL THEM!
After extending my condolences as I hadn't heard about Dorothee's death. I then proceeded to tell them the sea lion and the bottle story…and from the looks on their faces you would have thought that they had won the lottery! They now had an "UPBEAT" story to tell about Dorothee at tomorrow's Neptune Society burial! To be more accurate, they ALL smiled except ONE whose "flood gates" really opened up. When she finally calmed down, I apologized for having upset her and asked what I had said that caused her to be so terribly sad, after all, I thought it was a pretty heartwarming story.
She quickly regained her composure and in an almost apologetic tone assured me that she wasn't upset, but overjoyed! (As a male, I have NEVER been able to tell the difference between whether a woman is crying out of happiness or out of sadness. This will be one of the first questions that I will ask God, when I get to Heaven! Of course in Heaven, since there is nothing but happiness, my question will likely be "moot"!) "You see", she explained", "I am "that" granddaughter, with whom she found the sea lion on that beach all those years ago! I never heard about the bottle episode from my Grandmother but now I feel so much closer to her because of that beautiful story! Thank You!"
You know, I guess there are "some" benefits of getting older, as long as you still have your "gray matter" upstairs (and I don't mean hair!). I was able to "reunite" a family with their “passed” loved one, just because of a bottle launching celebrating America’s 200th Birthday those years before.
Post Script: Boy, God does act in "strange ways" and I try more every day, as I hope that we all do, to "tap" into those ways so that we can live a fuller and happier life.
3 comments:
It is extremely interesting for me to read that blog. Thank you for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to them. I would like to read more soon.
It is extremely interesting for me to read this post. Thanks for it. I like such themes and anything connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.
By the way, use Bluetooth jammer to disable all spy transmitters in your room or office.
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