It's a Small, Small World

I met Caroline in 1997 when I first moved to Dallas. I landed a contract job in the marketing department at a large telecommunications firm in the Dallas area. Caroline had been in the industry for some time. She is a real go-getter and I would grab on to her coattails every chance I could get. I have learned quite a bit from her over the years.

I am good at making friends wherever I go. I enjoy getting to meet and share with new people. Many of those people leave my life when the orignal connections are severed. Not Caroline. She has a tenacity about her that I admire and love. We stayed friends as she went on to create some things in her life. She built a house, dated an old friend of mine, started her own business.... She's Caroline. Bound and determined to push ahead. I wish I had that kind of drive.

After my old friend broke her heart, she moved on with grace as usual. Shortly thereafter she met a man in her church. A man she really clicked with. A man she decided to marry.

We liked David immediately. He's warm and kind and gentle. A very grounded spirit. He's a great companion to Caroline. We attended their wedding, which was beautiful.

Within a year of the wedding, M and I stepped up in our determination to have a child. We had been unofficially trying after six months of marriage. Five years later, it was starting to feel very "now or never." I asked Caroline to meet me for lunch. I wanted to break the news in person that our determination had succeeded, I was pregnant. Once I told her, her face lit up. "Me too!" She exclaimed. We were due between 3-4 weeks apart.

G was born, then G2 and we got them together early on. They hit it off, and it really isn't any wonder. Caroline and I run at similar speeds, as do our spouses. The G's just celebrated their 5th birthdays. G will tell anyone who will listen that one of his best buddies is G2.

Now Caroline and I are pregnant again, but due three months apart. It's funny how these things work out.

But life gets even funnier, in a strange coincidence kind of way.

David and Caroline came to my mother's Memorial Service in November. They even ventured out to my Dad's house. After the service, I had suggested to Dad that he use David for any trust/estate/will work since this is what David does for a living. Dad thanked me kindly but hadn't acted on that information.

In that strange turn of events, David's parents came to visit this past weekend for G2's birthday. David's Dad noticed my Dad's name while at their house. I have a pretty distinctive maiden name, and while not common, it's not completely left field either. David's father, Whit, inquired about my Dad's name as someone he knew a good 20 years ago in the banking industry. I talked to my Dad and sure enough, Whit is a friend and colleague with whom he had lost touch.

So, how likely is it that best friends (G and G2) would end up with grandfathers that were good friends many years ago? That one of my best friends would marry a man whose Dad knows mine. Given that we didn't all grow up here in Dallas, it's just very strange. And wonderful.

Everything works on Purpose. And it is a wonderous small world after all.