HOT PURSUIT

Sometimes love has a mysterious way of showing up when you least expect it.

Such was the case for Sarah Tharaldson on a recent morning while she hung clothes outside to dry at her rural home near Hope. It’s something that put a smile on her face and as she views it perhaps a sign from her deceased husband keeping tabs on her.

Among a clump of weeds near her clothesline, she discovered a neatly colored Valentine’s card with a message from one child to another. It was right side up with a red heart staring her in the face. It did not have any water, rain, mud or snow damage.

The card was written to Elisa and read: “Did you watch the Super Bowl? I did, Denver won. Did you see the puppy monkey baby commercial? I saw it, it was funny. Happy Valentines Day. There is a lot of snow on the ground. I enjoyed the snow day on Monday. I hope you like this letter. Your friend, Owen.”

While Tharaldson realizes the card wasn’t initially written to her, she is sure it was no accident that it ended up in her yard. “Of course, I read the words written in youthful truth and innocence. Perhaps this is an uplifting item to share. Perhaps someone knows who this belongs to. Perhaps a teacher who did it in class knows,” she said.

“I took it to be a special gift,” said Tharaldson. “My husband passed away years ago, and we had no children. I still live in the country on the farm my husband and I loved.”

For Tharaldson, finding such a lovely card was like a special reminder that her husband can still hear and watch over her. “This card brought me great wonder and joy, and I wanted to say thank you to Owen and Elisa for the surprise,” she said.

Her husband, James, died in 2012 after a short, but courageous battle with cancer. At one time he was a pastry chef who made birthday and other cakes for celebrities in Nevada. With a love for woodworking, he built the furniture for their home and also restored the farmhouse when they moved to Hope.

Tharaldson hopes that sharing this story will bring joy to others in what’s often a broken world. “As I often get trash in my yard, this was worth more than keeping. This needed to be shared,” she said.

After receiving the special sign from what she believes was her husband, she’d like to return the card back to either Owen or Elisa. If anyone knows who these children may be, contact the Times office.

Tharaldson said it’s also a reminder that you never know what may show up in your yard.

“One’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” she said.

Or perhaps more appropriate in this case: one child’s trash is another woman’s heartfelt prize. It definitely found a special spot in Tharaldson’s heart.

Love struck by the Valentine’s card, Tharaldson is now in hot pursuit of finding the youth who brightened her world at least for a short time.