Millions of devout believers open their Bible every day hoping to get some divine inspiration or read a special message intended just for them.
But for Southern California woman Marion Shurtleff, that message was one she wrote herself -- 65 years ago.
The 75-year-old San Clemente resident had purchased an old Bible from a used bookstore in her neighborhood and noticed some folded sheets of yellowed paper tucked into its pages. For two months, she didn't pay the extra pages any extra attention. But when she finally took the time to unfold the letter, what she saw made her shake.
“I opened it up, and instantly I saw my name,” she said to CBS2 Los Angeles. “I recognized my handwriting. I hollered. I started shaking. I cried. I had goose bumps.”
Shurtleff had found an old essay she had written to earn a Girl Scouts merit badge. Even more remarkable is that Shurtleff, whose name was then Mary Lou, wrote that essay in her hometown of Covington, Ken., over 2,000 miles away, notes CBS2.
For Shurtleff, a cancer survivor, the discovery has launched her into an investigation to find the owner of the Bible. She has a lot of questions for that person.
“How did it get here? I think there’s got to be a tie to the person who kept this. Why would they keep it,” she said to CBS2. “Maybe it was sent to me for a reason. Maybe that person should be in my life.”
Watch the video above to see what Shurtleff wrote in her essay and check out CBS2 Los Angeles to see how Shurtleff plans to track down the Bible's owner.
Cilck through the slideshow below to see other remarkable discoveries of everything from class rings to diaries to ancient treasure.
