Here’s a relationship synchronicity that gives us a peek at the complex web of intertwining lives, reinforcing the concept that we are linked. It was originally posted by Richard Swank on The Strange Coincidences Archive.
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I’m from Atlanta, Ga., but in the summer of 1991 I had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles to help organize a political fundraising event.
The woman I worked with there, Joyce, was worried that I would be somewhat homesick, because she knew it was the longest time I’d ever been away from the southeast at the time. She told me that she knew someone who knew someone whose sister was also in L.A. that summer from Georgia. She thought we could meet and perhaps comfort each other about being strangers in a strange land.
The only fact she knew about the sister was that she had graduated from the University of Georgia in the spring, and that her name was Delia. I think she was actually trying to set me up for a date, but being gay, I wasn’t really all that keen on it. As far as I knew, all we had in common was that we were the same age and from the same state. I had never met anyone named Delia in my life.
Finally, just to get the hyper-enthusiastic Joyce off my back, I agreed to meet this sister of a friend of a friend. Joyce made the arrangements, and I was given Delia’s phone number.
Reluctantly, I called the number a few days later. It was answered by a smoky-voiced young woman who sounded instantly familiar. I identified myself by my first name and started to tell her why I was calling. Suddenly, she interrupted me, asking, “Is this Richard Swank?”
I replied, “Uh, yeah. How did you know my last name?”
She said, “This is Dee Dee Johnson! [last name changed] I go by Delia now!”
Her voice sounded familiar because it was. She was a high school classmate and friend of mine from Georgia. We had lost touch in the intervening four years; neither one of us had a clue that the other was in California. I had gone all the way across the country, and ended up being set up with a high school friend by my boss.
Years later, I’m still trying to get my head around that one.
Musing – what a terrific story. Some relationships simply come full circle!
My family moved to a little Texas town for my 4th grade school year. I made a best friend with Jeana because we were 'the smartest girls in class.' In May my dad was transferred to Rochester, NY and I was saddened to move away from my friend. We corresponded for a couple of years desultorily as kids do and then the letters ceased. My family moved back to Texas for my high school years and I decided to commute to Univ of Houston to save money. In fall of my sophomore year I fell in love with a boy who lived on campus in one of the dorms. His good friend who lived across the hall was dating a girl from that small Texas town; they had been dating since high school. She was very smart and was attending Rice Univ on a National Merit Scholarship. I mentioned my long ago best friend with the unusual spelled name. You guessed it; it was she, my best friend from 10 years before. We had a wonderful reunion and were roommates the following summer.
Great story and even greater comments! 🙂
Terri, you tune in every time!
Hmmm, I'm amused that only half hour ago I posted a comment on my latest blog post that included "1991", the only date used.
hmmm…neat! can't wait for that one!
Whatever parallels that exist out there and I am sure there are many, there always seems to a be a 'negative' element … whether you call it trickster (note the ster), joker, devil, left handedness, whatever. I call it (tongue in cheek) the "goad of god(dess)". In other words, that which has been thrown into the mix so that we could strive, learn and grow.
Regardless of the name, this element certainly makes it hard for us to judge falseness from truth. That is why we need to constantly be open to what 'life' reveals. For instance, Darwin's theory on the evolution of the species– the archaelogical facts, challenged most of Christianity. Namely, the Bibles 'literal' interpretation of the Adam and Eve story.
Today, many denominations have adapted, they have recognized the 'trickster' and have turned around to read the Bible as a form of 'allegory' instead of literal.
Butternut – almost like parallel lives or something. There must have been junctures where you could have met, but you met when you needed it most. Gypsy – strange that you mention six degrees. We have a post called 6 degrees of separation that's going up in several days.
…how could I forget about this freaky chance meeting 25 years ago when I would save a strangers life only to come face to face with him a couple of years later. I posted the story on my blog in August.
https://toumaiocean.blogspot.com/2009/08/man-standing-at-window-was-only-one-in.html
Butternut's story reminds me of dreams that I've had where other people actually visit me… very odd and cryptic, with most being welcome. Only once did I stop the interaction and blocked the person from coming in… it was intrusive.
No I haven't seen her again. However, I met her in Virginia Beach, and while I was talking with her I discovered that we had lived near one another in Japan. We were both working for the Japanese ministry of Education and on the same program. We never met in Japan.
great stories, all of them – that whole six degrees thing is more like two – or one – hmmm…or none –
Butternnut, Toumai, these are both great stories. A past life connection and a relative. Butternut – did you ever see this woman again? It's pretty dramatic, that she saved your life!
I travel across Canada doing the X-mas craft show circuit and odd things like this happen frequently. While in Vancouver one year, I was approached by a woman (70 ish) who when realizing that I was from the East mentioned that her Grandparents were from New Brunswick (adjacent province to Nova Scotia). I mention that my folks are from New Brunswick, she then mentions her grandparents surname. I nearly fell off my seat when she says Mazerolle (a rare Acadian name)… which was my mom's maiden name. After tossing out a few questions I would come to learn that her grandfather was my great uncle.
Those kind of relationship connections seem to happen to me constantly. I'm usually running into business acquaintances in unusual places, but I once ran into an old friend on top of the Acropolis, 'wierd.' Even stranger, a women came up to me at a show and seemed to know a lot about me. She said we knew each other from before and we just stopped in to check on one another from time to time. When she said 'before,' she meant way before, like another life. She was hurt that I didn't recognize her at all. However, she gave me a protective bracelet of tourmeline and told me that I needed to go to the hospital. She was right. She probably saved my life that night. I still feel bad that I didn't recognize her.