The universe synchronizes its watches over us
Sunday December 09th 2012, 12:15 am
Filed under: Family

As for the Japanese earthquake, Michelle says she was in the middle of buying our Christmas presents when it hit. Given that they go on longer the further from the epicenter you are (an S wave vs P wave thing) and that there were aftershocks piling on, she said that with a pause here and there it basically shook for twenty minutes.  Carol King time.

Meantime, while we were at Richard’s folks’ yesterday, the phone rang: it was his older brother, checking in on them, telling his dad that he was in China on a business trip, the two of them chatting away for a little bit and then Dad offering the phone to MomH, too.

When Richard and I got home and went to bed at 3 am by the time zone we’d finally gotten used to, we set the alarm to be ready to pick up Michelle in the morning. The idea was that she would call when wheels touched down and we would drive up while she got through customs.

We waited.

Turns out her flight left an hour late, and only because her flight left an hour late did it happen that, with neither of them knowing the other was traveling much less where, Michelle found herself suddenly exclaiming, “Uncle GEORGE?!!” at Tokyo airport.

Of all the places to get to see him for the first time since the family reunion two summers ago. He had a stopover there on his way home. Out of all the places either could have been in the entire planet or even the directions they could have been looking in… What were the chances!


9 Comments so far
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It’s a good thing she recognized him! I was in St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice as a teen and saw my high school teacher but couldn’t figure out who it was until he was long gone. It’s not easy to recognize someone out of place. Glad she got to say hello. I’m sure it made both their days.

Comment by Jody 12.09.12 @ 6:56 am

No coincidences! I love it.

Comment by Channon 12.09.12 @ 7:21 am

There are no coincidences.

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 12.09.12 @ 8:29 am

Then there’s the time I saw my cousin in a restaurant with a woman not his wife. Fortunately, I didn’t recognize him in time to be upset.

Comment by Abby 12.09.12 @ 9:14 am

glad that all the family came through the shake up without harm

(and now that song is stuck in my head!!)

Comment by bev 12.09.12 @ 9:30 am

Ok, no coincidences. Just a delight. “…not easy to recognize someone out of place.” Reminds me of the time many years ago when I was driving up a busy street in downtown San Francisco. Stopped at a light, and glanced to my left as some fellow I didn’t recognize waved at me. Later I realized it was the postal clerk at the main post office.

Comment by Don Meyer 12.09.12 @ 11:17 am

What a shocking delight that must have been for both of them! How very cool! And I suppose Michelle’s Japanese understanding is improving.

Comment by DebbieR 12.09.12 @ 6:59 pm

Chuckling at what must have been their delight…

Comment by twinsetellen 12.10.12 @ 9:26 pm

I love that kind of synchronicity!!!!

Comment by Diana Troldahl 12.10.12 @ 10:08 pm



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