Grieving Daughter Finds Note In Fossil Purse While Thrifting
Unexpected Thrift Store Find
Photo of a little girl with her father and a black purse.
TikTok/Abrielle Clausing
On January 13, 2021, Abrielle Clausing's world fell apart. Her father unexpectedly passed away from Covid-19. As anyone who has experienced grief knows, the journey isn't a straight one. It ebbs and flows with some days being significantly harder than others.
It was during a "particularly hard grief week" when Abrielle, 24, decided to embark on some retail therapy. She used to love thrifting with her dad, and no one loved a good deal more than he did.
However, she didn't just want to shop for the sake of shopping, she had a very specific item she wanted in mind.
"My sister and I decided to go thrifting and I told her I wanted to find a vintage Fossil brand purse," she explains in a now-viral TikTok video.
And wouldn't you know, Abrielle did indeed end up finding "the cutest vintage Fossil brand purse" - seriously what are the chances?
And as if that wasn't serendipitous enough, it was about to get a whole lot more remarkable.
Inside the purse was a handwritten note:
"When you read this you will be far from me in miles but not in my heart. I'm here. I love you."
Whelp.
She immediately took it as a sign from her beloved dad.
"I knew it was from him," she told People. "I always check the inside of the bag before I buy it to make sure it’s in good condition. When I stuck my hand in it, I felt the piece of paper and when I took it out and found the note, I read it out loud to my sister."
"When I saw the note, it just confirmed that he was with us," she added. "He’s always with us."
Response To The Viral TikTok
TikTok · abrielleclausingAbrielle's heartwarming video has garnered nearly one million views and over 1,000 comments and it's making believers out of every single one of us.
"I'm so afraid that death is final and we just stop existing. But some things can't be explained. There has to be more out there!!"
"This was def him 🥹💙"
"I’m literally crying so hard. Someone would have had to carry me out of the thrift 😭"
"I'm honestly at a loss for words. Wow. Just wow."
Even Fossil weighed in, writing, "What a beautiful note to find. Your dad's love will always be with you. Sending you and your family a big, warm hug."
Her TikTok also opened the floodgates for others to share the signs they've received from lost loved ones.
"My brother passed away & years later I was at a checkout line in the store & at the cash register was a young school photo of him that someone left.... never made sense but I'll never forget it."
"About 30 seconds after bursting in tears thinking about my grandpa a car merged in front of me and the license plate was his name and his age when he died 😭😭"
"When my mom passed, days after I found an email that not me nor my sister had opened or read before. It was an email my mom sent us 4 years before with the message “open it when I’m gone, love, mom”. It had a beautiful letter as an attachment."
Love Lives On
The note Abrielle Clausing found in a Fossil bag while thrifting is now part of a cherished collage.
People.com/Abrielle Clausing
Abrielle has given the note a place of honor, right smack in the middle of a framed collage of her favorite sayings and things.
It's a beautiful reminder that the love she shared with her dad lives on, even though he is gone.
And whether you believe in fate or not, you have to admit the universe had an uncanny way of showing up just when she needed it to.
After all, what are the odds that a stranger penned a note with the exact words she needed to hear, placed it in the exact bag she was looking for, AND that bag ended up in the exact thrift store she was shopping in? Pretty astronomical.
And yet, here we are.
Life is full of unexpected, magical moments that often happen when we least expect it. And sometimes those moments bring us the comfort and connection we need most, reminding us that love...is never truly lost.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Crush Them!
Life is unpredictable at every turn. Instead of trying to manipulate its unforeseeable trajectory, time is better spent by living it. Thus, last December when my life was unceremoniously upended, it took me a moment to stabilize and regenerate.
Out of nowhere, a few days before Christmas, my husband was jobless. While nostalgic holiday music bombarded the airwaves and frenzied shoppers and travelers jostled to check off their lists, my family watched in longing and dismay. Our last paycheck was due mid-January, and then we were on our own. Anguished emotions intensified, since soon after that paycheck hit the bank, our car crashed, taking it off the road for months to come. As a result, we huddled in the suburbs with no transportation, and without a job to alleviate the situation. Fortunately, kindhearted friends rescued us throughout the crisis.
In times like these, one can easily fall apart. Fortunately, my survival mode went into overdrive and I determined to overcome each hurdle no matter how painstaking. Life bombarded me with a bucketful of lemons, but instead of making lemonade, I chose to crush the yellow off of them.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Crush Them!
Flying high
There are times in our lives when we soar. During those moments, you're flying high; you feel untouchable. This makes it excruciating to regain your footing when disaster strikes. However, it is not an impossible task if we baby-step through the debris to find solutions.
A few years before all-out calamity struck, I was flying high and living the dream life in Tokyo, Japan. Living was incredible. My husband's job gave us the ability to travel between Tokyo and the USA. Numerous miles were racked up from our trips, so we often flew first class; a six-figure salary allowed us to enjoy life in ways we never imagined. Sadly, no sooner than this miraculous lifestyle began, it was over.
The beginnings of the 2008 financial crash unfolded before our eyes as seasoned expat families lost their jobs and scrambled to return home. Since we arrived in the later months, our time was cut short. Just as we became accustomed to Japanese customs and culture, we faced a quick, unfortunate repatriation.
A couple years after our return to the US, the economic crisis hit, causing us to eventually file for bankruptcy. These unfolding events were complicated by a series of job losses, school bullying, a cancer scare, accidents, and family hospitalizations over a ten year period. Eventually, we accepted welfare while foreclosure loomed. Yet, amidst it all, I focused on the sliver of light ahead. Encouraging my family to do the same, I decided to buck the downward trend.
Bucking the downward trend
Even as I pen this piece the chaos continues; my father-in-law passed away at the end of July after a long illness. Although I was not close to him, the loss is agonizing. I’m witnessing my husband grappling with the internal struggle of the loss a loved one inevitably brings -- it cuts to the core. There is not much I can do but let him know I’m here. In the midst of this moment there is stillness, yet I feel the rush of uncertain movement as life chugs on.
Nowadays, life throws a curve at every second; there is little time to catch our collective breaths before another conundrum presents itself. Every day, in order to counteract the all-consuming, heaving sludge, I strive to buck the downward trend by raising my life-force. In order to master the art of crushing life's lemons, I clear my mind and internal space with focused meditation; I use my practice like a sword and shield to stave off the incoming conflicts. The same method applies no matter the size of the problem. No matter the size or level, I place every issue before my higher power.
How to crush your own lemons
Sadly, problems will arise no matter how much we try to circumvent life's pitfalls. However, at the heart of every enigma, a sliver of light awaits. In the end it is all about our attitude. When faced with the difficulties of life, what is your stance? Are you filled with fear? Racked with anxiety? Or are you bristling with the determination to barrel through the obstacles?
Determinedly, I strive to surmount each and every crisis, but this does not mean every battle is winnable. Yet from my perspective, as long as I’m alive, it isn't a loss – I’ve lived to fight another day. If you are struggling or dealing with an untenable situation, quiet your mind and focus on the task at hand. No matter the situation or impasse, a ray of light awaits. Buckle in and prepare to crush the yellow off those lemons!
A few ways to crush