Early one morning in Florida, Judi, one of the owners of a beachfront hotel, was walking along the shore collecting trash. During her walk, she came across an unusual bottle washed up on the beach. Inside the bottle were some sand and two one-dollar bills.
Curious, Judi opened the bottle and read the note inside. What she discovered was deeply moving. The “sand” was not sand at all—it was the ashes of a man named Gordon, placed there by his wife after his passing.
In the note, Gordon’s wife explained that he had loved to travel during his life. To honor that love, she decided to send him on one final journey. She placed some of his ashes into a bottle along with a note and a small amount of money, asking whoever found it to call her and tell her where Gordon had ended up.
Gordon’s journey began in Big Pine Key in March 2012. From there, the bottle drifted to Islamorada, where it was found by another person. That finder added their own note, then sent Gordon back out to sea to continue his travels. Eventually, the bottle washed ashore at Key Colony, where Judi found it.
Judi called Gordon’s wife, who now lives in Tennessee, and told her about where the bottle had landed. Gordon’s wife was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude to hear about her husband’s travels and how far he had gone.
Wanting to continue the tradition, Judi added her own note to the bottle. She transferred Gordon’s ashes into a rum bottle—just for fun—and placed all three notes inside. She also added another dollar, just in case Gordon travels even farther and someone needs money to make a long-distance phone call.
Later that day, Judi and others planned to hold a small memorial service—or rather, a celebration of Gordon’s life—on the beach. After honoring him, they intended to send Gordon back out to sea once again, so his journey could continue.
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