A coincidence happened a couple of weeks ago and got me to thinking about some things that I've experienced over the years, things that are hard to explain. We met some friends, Pam & JR Rodgers from Meridian, MS about 5 years ago when we were both in the campground in Chattanooga, TN. They were there for an extended period and so were we. Anyway, our paths have separated but have crossed from time to time. We've visited them in Mississippi and email and phone talk once in a while. Pam emailed us recently and said she recognized a name in our blog, Gene & Betty Cusano, whom we met in December 2005 at Walt Disney World. The two couples were a part of a 5 or 6 couple group who spent several weeks in the desert of Quartzite, AZ a few years ago. They sort of fell out of touch and were reunited through my blog. Amazing.
Back in 1995, our son Chris was in the midst of a year long stay in India. He had been there several months, and had gone there from Chicago. He lived with a couple of other Americans guys and they got wind of a party for some newly arriving people from the US, and somehow connived an invitation to that party. At the party, Chris was chatting with a girl he didn't know and the talk got around to where are you from, etc. She informed him that she was from Chicago. A few minutes later, Chris found out that she was the sister of a friend of his from Loyola U., a person that Chris sold some of his furniture to before he left Chicago. It turned out that the TV that Chris sold was in the bedroom of the young lady he was talking to in India. Go figure.
Back in the nineties, before Valda & I left Indiana, I was at a lumber yard in Greenwood, IN. There was an older couple at the counter inquiring about a former manager of the place from fifteen years previous. The sales clerk didn't know anything about the former manager, but I did. He and his wife and Valda & I spent time together before they left for Austin, TX. I told the couple what I knew about the whereabouts of the manager and in doing so, my name got tossed around in the conversation. The man asked me if I had any relatives in Florida, specifically Orlando, FL. I told him I had a brother, Keith who lived just outside of Orlando. It turned out that this man built homes in FL and that my brother did his interior trim work on those houses. Amazing.
There's other stories that I'll touch on later. It just goes to show that it doesn't matter where you are or how far away you go, there could be and often times is a link somewhere to your past. It is interesting to know this, and sometimes a bit unnerving to experience it. But it's fun to talk about.
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2 comments:
Hi There,
I have always loved the story of Chris and the solad TV ending up in India!! Amazing and priceless to say the least. I know you will have plenty more strange and delightful "happenings" during the walk.....hey maybe even another book!
Love Ya,
R & P
I received an email from my mom's best friend Mary Belin about your walk with the links to your website. When I read this particular blog about connections, I was instantly struck. I have always felt that our lives are a never-ending circle of connections. I'm sure Mary sent the same email to my father to let my mother know about this old connection from high school, but I don't know if he understood the significance it held. (My mom is computer illiterate and only communicates by computer through my father) Her name was Marie Repole in school, and if you were friends with Mary, I am pretty sure you knew my mom. I have printed out the email and plan to give it to my mom at the earliest opportunity. I'm sure she will contact you. I praise your efforts, and though I can not provide monetary support, I will keep you and your continued health in my prayers.
Marie Kay Stampfl
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