In the heart of a kitchen that seems to have been frozen in the 1950s, lies an artifact that has defied the test of time.
An egg, believed to be the world’s oldest, sits proudly on a shelf, its shell bearing a handwritten message from April 2nd, 1951.
More than an egg, it’s an ode to curiosity, hope, and the unexpected connections life brings.
John Amalfitano, the current custodian of this unique relic, has maintained its pristine condition for years.
The egg’s age is astonishing, 72 years to be precise.
But what truly makes it special is the message inscribed on its shell.
It reads, “Whoever gets this egg, please write me,” followed by the name “Miss Mary Foss” and an address in Forest City, Iowa.
This simple yet intriguing message begs the question: Who was Mary Foss?
Could she possibly be found after all these years?
The odds seemed slim, but John, driven by curiosity, took to Facebook to share his discovery.
His post playfully speculated that the egg might have been the work of a young Iowa farm worker, dreaming of making connections in distant cities.
The universe, in its mysterious ways, responded.
Mary Foss, now known as Mary Starn, was found alive and well at the age of 92.
As it turns out, Mary was a teenage farm girl when she penned the message on the egg.
Her youthful hope was to find a pen pal, someone from a far-off place who might be intrigued by her unique approach to reaching out.
The process of writing on an egg without cracking it is delicate, to say the least.
Mary recalls doing it “lightly, very lightly.”
She then packed this signed egg with 11 others, sending them off on a journey to New York City.
There, a man struck by the egg’s inscription purchased it at a grocery store.
Instead of consuming this egg like any other, the buyer recognized its uniqueness and chose to preserve it.
For nearly fifty years, he kept the egg, cherishing the mystery it held.
Eventually, he passed it on to John, a collector with a penchant for the unusual and the extraordinary.
One might wonder, after all these years, if there’s still something inside the egg.
Using an egg lamp in a darkened room, John and Mary discovered that the bottom part of the shell was more translucent, suggesting the presence of some very old egg matter inside.
The reunion of Mary with her egg, after more than seven decades, is nothing short of magical.
It shows the enduring power of human connection, the whimsy of youth, and the unexpected paths that life can take.
The egg, once a symbol of hope for a young farm girl, now stands as a beacon of serendipity and the beautiful surprises life offers.
It’s evident that life’s most enchanting moments often come from the simplest gestures.
Whether it’s writing a message on an egg or reaching out to a stranger, the universe has a way of weaving stories that remind us of the interconnectedness of all things and the timeless beauty of human connection.
Hear more about the 70+ year journey Mary Foss sent her egg on in the video below!
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