Post Scripts: Coincidence…no…lucky day

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word "coincidence" means "the fact or condition of coinciding; an accidental and remarkable occurrence of events. ideas, etc. at the same time, suggesting but lacking a casual relationship."

So there! I never sought this particular definition before because, during my entire life, I had never been so directly confronted with the novelty of several coincidences. However, a few days ago Kathy and I were confronted with a remarkable set of coincidences. The first one occurred a few weeks ago.

I was looking at a map of Texas to find the name of a certain county (for a possible trip there) to relieve the monotony of apartment living. All of a sudden I was struck by the name of a county I saw on the map. Remember now, when living in Daviess County one of the counties bordering Daviess County was Caldwell County. Guess what! One of the counties bordering Hays County, the county in which we live, is named Caldwell!

Later on I discovered something else! Kathy and I were quite used to going through the town of Cameron enroute to Kansas City to see friends, relatives and shop at Independence Center. Guess what! I discovered Cameron, Texas, is not all far away from San Marcos.

Somebody once told me "it’s a small world." Indeed it is!

There’ even more to this than Kathy and I ever dreamed. One of our neighbors here, John Paup, expanded our "coincidence world." It developed that he and I have the very same birthday, July 6. Not only that but it was astounding we had the same birthday date – July 6, 1918. There’s more!

In still another conversation it was discovered John’s deceased wife’s name was "Katherine Lucille" the same as my Kathy’s. In addition to that he and his wife were married in 1943, the same year we were married. There’s even more. Their daughter is named Katherine, too, and they call her Kathy, the same as we do our oldest daughter, Kathy Ann.

John is a great guy, a retired friendly banker, who we enjoy visiting with as we eat breakfast in the Wellington dining room three times a week. He and Kathy are in the same group that play bridge together each week.

I guess I’m not all that surprised that coincidence has played an important role in both our lives. It was just a coincidence that Kathy and I met through a printer friend on the east side of Kansas City. I had a problem with a printing press I was using to print a small, very small, newspaper on the east side of Kansas City. I not only received helpful advice there, but was introduced to my future wife as well. She was also employed at a printing plant at the time. I love coincidences!

My dictionary explains to me a coincidence "is taking up the same position in space at the same time, or a remarkable occurrence of events."

For a struggling newspaper publisher (and copy boy at The Kansas City Star at the same time), that was my lucky day! Just a coincidence? No, I don’t think so.