Five Years Later: The Backpack's Unexpected Return from the Past

One December day, I received a surprising message in my Facebook requests that I hadn’t noticed before. It wasn’t until a month later that I randomly checked and found an unexpected note: "Hello, we found a backpack with your credit cards on the roof in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Have you lost or had a backpack stolen in the past few years?" My heart skipped a beat.

Back in 2017, while I was in the hospital for a procedure, the apartment where I was taking care of a cat was broken into. The thief made off with my beloved Tom Bihn backpack, which I used to carry my belongings. When I discovered the theft, all I had left was my Canadian passport and five dollars on the sofa.

The woman who found the backpack lived near the apartment I used to care for. After hiring someone to clean the chimney, she stumbled upon the backpack hidden on the roof. Inside were some items of no real value: a green die (not mine), an old hand cream, Tylenol, and a few business cards from travel meetups.

Moreover, there were a pair of prescription glasses that I had to replace after the theft, along with several expired credit cards. It was astonishing to have the backpack return after more than three years, even though my laptop, money, jewelry, and many other things were long gone.

Receiving that message brought back a flood of emotions. It also helped me process feelings that I had not been able to set aside. I felt grateful to the woman for her efforts to reach out to me.

In the end, I asked my close friend Cheryl to pick up the backpack. Cheryl and I have known each other since law school; we now work at the same company in New York and are inseparable friends. She understood how chaotic it could be to reclaim the backpack, so she took care of it with enthusiasm. Not only did she clean it thoroughly, but she also returned it to me filled with camel-related goodies, from a jacket to postcards.

I found myself truly torn about what to do with the backpack that had found its way back to me. Even though I already had a replacement, I decided to gift it to another friend who would appreciate this "miracle."

The backpack seemed to hold the ups and downs of my old and new life. Now, it has a new home, serving as part of my emotional release.

This story reminds me of the strength we find in overcoming life’s storms. Once again, I feel thankful for the miraculous return of the backpack. It stands as a symbol of the recovery I’ve been seeking.