For many, spring cleaning is a time to hit the reset button, but it can also uncover unexpected things. This month, Good News Wants to Know… What is the most surprising thing you’ve ever found while spring cleaning or packing to move?

We recently moved after thirty years in our previous home. So of course, so many items brought back wonderful memories as we packed them up. But one thing that stands out to me regarding spring cleaning is that the term comes from the tradition of cleaning the house before Passover. This is a thorough cleaning that many Jewish families traditionally do right before Passover. As part of making the kitchen kosher for Passover, they tend to “seize the moment” (which usually lasts days) and clean the entire house, basement and all, while throwing out junk and tidying up cabinet drawers. The purpose was to symbolically remove leaven from the home.

Dr. Mary Drabik, President, South Florida Bible College

We haven’t moved and don’t plan to, so the most surprising thing I recall finding was my trumpet in the attic. That resulted in memories from a long time ago.

William “Bill” C. Davell, Director, Tripp Scott PA

Just last weekend we started cleaning out some closets in preparation for home renovations and just to get organized. I found a London Fog overcoat that I got in 1986 when I arrived in Boston to go to college at Boston University. It brought back memories because my grandfather bought it for me, and he has long since passed. It also has a fur liner that I can’t imagine would ever be used in sunny South Florida.

Chip LaMarca, State Representative, Florida House District

We’ve moved a good bit over the years from my time in the US Secret Service, but one uncovered a box of letters from my grandmother, who passed away several years ago. I had forgotten about them. They were written to me while I was in Officer Candidate School with the Marine Corps. What a treasured find as it reminded me of the prayers and great love she had for her grandson. I can’t wait to see her again. 

Chris Simpson, President, CBMC International 

Going through some drawers in a desk and in my dresser, I found two Swiss wrist watches that my parents had given me in high school, one a winder and one a self-winder. I had worn neither of them in more than 50 years, but both still work perfectly without even having to take them to a jeweler for cleaning. Now I get to wear them when I want some variety in a time piece. The Swiss make great watches!

H. Collins Forman, Jr., PA

We’ve moved several times, and one of the most surprising we continue to discover is how much stuff we’ve accumulated. It never ceases to amaze us that no matter how much downsizing, selling and giving away we do, other stuff finds its way in.

Craig Huston, Huston Consulting Group, LLC

While cleaning out the attic in my parent’s home, I lifted a box of old silverware that seemed especially heavy. Digging deeper into the box, I discovered my parents’ missing gold coins that we figured a housekeeper or handyman had found before any of the family could. It became a surprise legacy gift for their grandchildren.

Deborah Cusick, FAU Campus Volunteer, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship

The most surprising thing I’ve ever found while cleaning out my grandfather’s belongings was a family tree from my dad’s side of our family. The numerous accounts of my family and their origins was a blessing in several ways. Being able to share the history with my children has been invaluable.

Dennis DeMarois, Executive Director/CEO, Gathering Palm Beach County

A couple years ago I was going through one of my mom’s boxes of keepsakes and found a love letter my father wrote to my mom. It was so sweet. I also found my great-grandfather’s Sunday School book. I treasure them both. 

Dolores King-St. George, President, King Communications and GraceNet Radio

Recently we were going through my parents’ belongings left behind after they passed. I found a booklet that one of my mom’s distant cousins created years ago featuring photos and bios of numerous members of my mom’s family tree. Many of these people I had not heard of before. It was eye-opening to see their photographs and learn about relatives I had never heard of before!

Karen Granger, Director of Community Relations, 4KIDS Palm Beach

Spring cleaning and decluttering does the heart good! I found a letter my husband gave me forty-one years ago!! It was more priceless than diamonds, chocolate or roses!! 

Helen Wayner P.A., Century 21 Hansen Realty 

When we were moving from our first house in Florida to the one we live in now, I found my eldest’s umbilical cord in a porcelain container that had been placed for disposal. I thank God I was prompted to look inside. Otherwise, I would have lost such a precious reminder of the gift of her life. 

Dr. Jessica Vera, President, Chief Executive Officer, Elite Foundation

Among other things, a favorite t-shirt that I had long since forgotten and money!

Larry Lacy, Pastor, The Answer Church

Twenty-one years ago, I moved to Miami after marrying my husband Rev. Ronald Brummitt. We had just moved into a little apartment and we had come home from church after the pastor said we are praying for found money and blessings from God. I had a wicker basket I had unpacked and placed in the living room, and something (Holy Spirit) told me to look if I had packed anything inside. I looked and found a check I had put in with other papers and had not cashed for $500. It was very needed at the time… and we danced and rejoiced over God’s goodness in our lives.

Marilyn Brummitt, VP of Development, The Caring Place, Miami Rescue Mission/Broward Outreach Centers

When I was about eight years old, in the mid 1950’s, I was rummaging around in the attic of an old Victorian house that my dad had purchased as a foreclosure. We had lived there since I was six, but the attic was a little too spooky for me. It took a couple of years to build up my courage enough to explore it. There was no great hidden treasure up there, but I did come cross old newspapers from early in the World War II era showing a picture of the King of England and reporting on the war. At my age I was enthralled by movies about WWII and finding those newspapers really brought that time period to life for me.

Mike McDermott, PA, Seniors Real Estate Specialist, The Keyes Company

We recently moved just last year, and the most surprising thing we found is the amount of stuff we had accumulated over just a few years. The things that really matters do not fit in a box.

Dr. Mike Rozenblum, Genesis Physical Medicine and Chiropractic

During a home move I found a box filled with my old trophies, awards and newspaper clippings. It was great reminiscing and thinking about the “glory days,” even though it wasn’t a very big box! The box hasn’t been opened in years, but I thought I would still pack it for this move. However, when we moved into our new home, I never found that box again! I asked my wife if she knew where it could be, she never really responded? Hummm?!?

Milan Stefanovic, Chief Operations & Personal Lines Officer, Bass Underwriters

During one of my spring cleanings I was inspired to clean all the stacks of paper I had accumulated from work. After hastily tossing out all the papers, I realized that the plane tickets I had to go visit my parents were in the stacks of paper which had by been carried off in the garbage truck. Distressed and disappointed, I continued my spring cleaning only to find upon cleaning behind my night stand the plane tickets!

Oksana Horton, Creative Director, Torch and Trumpet Theatre Company

The most surprising thing that I had ever found while packing to move was a 1971 8 x 10 college football picture when I was playing college football at Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. I thought that I had lost that picture many years ago and that I would never see it again. Seeing that picture again brought back many memories.

O’Neal Dozier, Pastor, The Worldwide Christian Center

Spring cleaning when my children were young was always an interesting adventure. I would find all the lost pieces of puzzles, games and other Legos. The most unusual thing I ever found was a dead Bufo toad that had dried out and was just a skeleton. It made me start cleaning my children’s rooms more often after that.

Patricia Colangelo, EdS, Lecturer, Professor, Trinity International University – Florida

One of the funnest things I’ve ever uncovered was when moving, I found a box filled with all of my baby pictures and also colorings and school work from Kindergarten and 1st Grade that evidently my Mom had saved since I was a little boy. What’s amazing is that there are 11 children in my family, and I don’t know how she made the time to keep a special box for each 11 of us…but she did…and I certainly thank God for her and the kindness of a Mom’s heart!!

Coach Rick Andreassen, Founder and President, SAINTS Homeschool P.E. and SAINTS International Sports Ministry

I don’t do spring cleaning. Almost every day I find something I didn’t remember I had. It’s like living at a thrift store.

Samuel Lamerson, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies, Knox Theological Seminary

With four young kids and a dog, you never know what you are going to find while cleaning or moving in our house. The most surprising thing I’ve ever found while moving was the amount of Christmas decorations that we had. We recently moved a little over a year ago and while cleaning out the attic, I realized we had a tremendous number of boxes of Christmas decorations, some we do not even use. As much as we love Christmas, some of the decorations were pushed back as we accumulated new decorations every year. It was a reminder to always look at what you have before going and purchasing more items because you just may already have that item or way more than you need.

Steve Daigle, Campus Pastor, Calvary Chapel Parkland

About three months ago I had to move a trunk load of “stuff” from a friend’s garage that they were nice enough to store for me for a while. While moving I came upon a box of my Dad’s stuff that I had saved when he died and didn’t remember. In the box were the little feet of my pajamas that he cut off, noted: Steve, 3 years old, and saved. Needless to say, it brought tears to my eyes and fond memories of Dad.

Steve Solomon, Area Director, CBMC South Florida

Well, it’s what I am looking for that is the question…LOL. Here it is: I lost my eyeglasses about six months ago. Now, I could write a book on all the places I have lost them. I have always been able to find them. This past year, I left them on the beach and returned to find a temple sticking out of the sand. Another time, one of the lenses popped out in the dressing room at Ross. Now, maintenance swept that evening. And amazingly, the next day the lens was still there. Can I hear a woohoo? Always thanking Jesus. But this time, I have come up empty. I know they are in this house. I hope to do my spring cleaning and voila…I have wondered where you have been hiding? Then I’d have a nice pair of spares. This is on my prayer list.

Tewannah Aman, Executive Director, Broward County Right to Life

Read last month’s GNWTK at: https://www.goodnewsfl.org/good-news-wants-to-know-fun-facts/