Thrift stores are treasure troves of goodies. They are brimming with upcycled items such as housewares, clothes, knickknacks, and even sports memorabilia. Retirees Julie and Michael Lisi love perusing thrift stores near where they live in Florida. But one day, a visit to a particular store in Jupiter brought Julie to tears.
The couple has a son, Christopher, who loved sports growing up. Even as a 52-year-old, he still harbors a love for athletics and dedicates himself as a high school football coach and math teacher in Ohio. When he was younger, he played baseball, too, in their home state of Ohio.
During his season-ending game in 1978, Christopher hit two home runs and his team won. The exciting outcome was captured on camera by his parents as Christopher’s teammates bombarded him with enthusiasm and high fives, but the game-winning glove sadly was lost forever, Julie told The New York Times.
Christopher searched, but never found it.
“The next day, he went back to find it and it wasn’t there. He never did tell us he lost it.”
It was heartbreaking to Christopher to lose his glove from such an exciting baseball season. His dad Michael has hung on to his 70-year-old baseball glove that is perched atop the television next to a Yogi Berra bobblehead and a Yankees cap.
Fast-forward to the day that when Julie, 78, and Michael, 81, were strolling around the thrift store with nothing in particular to buy, just browsing. Suddenly, Julie froze, rooted to the ground. She couldn’t believe what was lying there on a shelf right in front of her. It was as if time truly stood still.
It was a weathered glove. A glove that had been well used and lost its leather sheen. Written on the glove in big bold letters was “Christopher Lisi.” There was no way it was the glove their son had lost 40 years ago in Ohio.
How on earth did it make its way to Florida, Julie pondered.
“My eyes just happened to glance at it. It didn’t really register. Things were whirling in my mind. I could see the name Christopher Lisi written down it. That is when I thought it is his, but it really didn’t seem possible.”
Michael told The New York Times that his wife was shaking, ready to burst into tears. He was worried something was wrong with her until he glanced at the glove she clutched in her hands.
“I thought something happened and she turned the glove over and right down the side I could see it.”
Julie snapped a picture of the glove with her son’s name on it and texted it to Christopher. He responded immediately: “buy it.”
Julie paid $1.49 for an old glove that held so many memories for her son.
“He was thrilled, he was jumping up and down. He just said, ‘Mom, bring it home.’”
Julie and Michael were so happy they could recapture a piece of their son’s childhood. She said he plans to pass the glove on to one of his sons someday.
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