Woman finds her stolen wallet after 47 years, left stunned by precious photo that brought back memories

It's highly unlikely to recover your lost or stolen belongings unless luck is on your side. Darlene Abel, a woman from North Dakota had her wallet stolen in 1977. But it was shockingly returned to her 47 years later with all the contents of the wallet intact. Abel was pregnant and working as a hairstylist at a Minton salon when her wallet was snatched away from her, per Daily Mail. The lady never expected to find her missing wallet tucked in the ceiling of the building where she used to work. A plumbing crew helped her retrieve her belongings which were left surprisingly intact even after 5 decades.

The wallet contained everything from Abel's family photos, credit cards, coupons, and other important documents. "It was just like walking through history, you know, looking at my wallet, my pictures and my cards and it's been a lot of fun," Abel told KFYR. "It wasn't that big a deal because I didn't have that much money in it or anything. I don't think maybe they got $10-12 if they were lucky." However, when the plumbing crew found the wallet, they were able to track her down because she still lived at the same address printed on her 1977 driver's license. "I remember the shirt I wore in that driver's license picture. It was a great shirt," Abel joked.

After receiving her wallet, Abel went through it and discovered her expired library card, some coupons, loyalty cards, business cards, an uncashed check, and a few appointment reminders. But there was one precious thing in her wallet which was a picture of her daughter who had died only a few months before her wallet was snatched. "There's a lot of history here. There were a lot of photos of people who are very precious to me," she added. 

Just like Abel could unlock a time capsule in the form of her lost wallet, a young woman who lost her father during COVID-19 in 2021, discovered a hidden note while she was grieving. The woman named Abrielle Clausing (@abrielleclausing) shared a post on her page where she mentioned finding a beautiful message inside a purse, that indicated her deceased father will always look over her and the family. "I was having a particularly hard week of grief. My sister and I decided to go thrift shopping and I told her I wanted a vintage Fossil brand purse," she wrote. "My sister and I loved thrifting with him and always showed him our cool finds," she recalled to PEOPLE.

So, Clausing and her sister went thrift shopping, and she stumbled upon a vintage Fossil brand purse, something she had always wanted. The purse was a great find but there was something more priceless she found with it. She was stunned after opening the purse, which contained a handwritten note inside. “When you read this, you will be far from me in miles but not in heart. I’m here. I love you,” the note read. Clausing was taken aback after reading the note because it felt just like a message from her deceased father.