You may have seen the shows on TV, you know, the ones about buying storage lockers at auctions..yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup! Well, I've been hooked on those shows for quite some time now and told Gina that I was gonna go to an auction and buy some treasures!
You got it, I did just that! The first auction was a bust, I didn't bid on anything, mainly because I was still in the early stages of recovery from my surgery and partially because it looked like junk. The second auction I went to was much better. I bid on the first locker and lost, only because I set a limit. The second locker, well lets just say that even though I wanted it, it surpassed my budget before I could even raise my hand. Then, the third auction......yuuuuuuuuuuuuuup! I won that sucker, old tires and all!
Wow! Now the fun would begin! Billy, my good friend came to the auction as well. He and I flipped that door open just like on the show and started to dig in! "HOLY CRAP MAN, LOOK AT THIS!" I couldn't wait to see what Billy was talking about and there they were...two...old...chests. Just like the shows on TV, I had just bought something that you couldn't see, something buried, just like a treasure chest in the sand! We tossed stuff out of the way and stood staring at them like two little kids watching fireworks. The first chest we opened contained a lifetime of family pictures, all with names, descriptions and dates written on the back. I just bought someones family history, ironic really, considering I am still learning my family history since my discovery in 2010.
Well, they are JUST pictures, so we moved on. Billy is from the area and has been his whole life. As we dug through more boxes Billy says he knows one of the persons whose contents were in the locker. Just so happens his sister is married into this family.
I sat in my garage with Ethan, my auction hunter buddy, digging through our new found treasures. We weren't going to become rich off this locker, but we were going to make enough to cover our costs and buy another one! Anyway, as I sat there watching the excitement on Ethan's face, I couldn't help but think about those pictures, that family, their history. As we loaded our trailer with the trash, I thought to myself, "You will be throwing away someones life if you throw those pictures out." So I loaded those pictures into two big boxes and called Billy to come pick them up and he dropped them off at his sisters house.
Last night I got a phone call. "Hey Mark, I just wanted to thank you for giving Billy those pictures to drop off, just two weeks ago I asked my cousin Mike if he knew where all of Grandma's pictures had gone and then two days ago they show up on my doorstep. I can't thank you enough for not throwing those pictures out." Wow, I know how this guy feels because in 2010 I felt similar feelings as I found my long lost family.
I almost threw away someones history. I believe it was meant for me to buy that locker that day. I believe it was meant that Billy was there to make the discovery. I believe this was my opportunity to pay back for finding my family.
Don't underestimate the worth of your photos, family, history. Don't let someone else throw away your life, protect it, preserve it, enjoy it..........
Mark
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