IT IS A SMALL WORLD

#29 - Really it is..

                       IT IS A SMALL WORLD 

The takeaway from this story is – When you come across someone with the same last name as yours, look into it further. You never know where it might lead, and you could miss out on what might come of it. It is a small world. 

The first of my relatives to America arrived in North Carolina from Scotland in 1802. By the Civil War, they had established themselves in Mississippi. They spread out from there and we lost track of many of our relatives.

 Thirty years ago, I was a courier sub-contractor using my pickup truck to pick up and deliver all manner of goods throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. 

One morning, I got a call to pick up soil samples from a geologist in Livermore and deliver them to an analytical lab in Concord. The soil would be tested for environmental regulations. 

Upon delivery and the signing of the chain-of-custody paperwork, I saw that the signer’s last name was the same as mine. I asked him, Ed, the owner of the lab, where he and his family were from.  

Dan, Ed’s brother, also at the lab that day, happened to be visiting from Colorado, and between us, we traced our origins back to North Carolina. Ed’s mother, Katherine, sounded familiar to me as a relative who knew a bit about our history. Could it be we were related? 

Later that day, I called relatives and related the story. Turns out, names and places matched. We were 2nd cousins. What were the odds of such a chance meeting?  

Ed’s family is in Colorado and my family is in Louisiana. Ed and I live in the San Francisco East Bay area. Neither of us get back to visit our folks as often as we would like. We live 10 minutes from each other. Though slow to start, through the years we became closer, sharing holidays, get togethers, exercise, and camping trips.  

We are different, but perhaps no different than any other family member from one another. But we are in the same locale. And we are the only family that is nearby. We’ve had our ins and outs, not seeing each another for months on end, only to get together again as if no time had passed. 

I would be the lesser for it had we not met. Ed is sharp, and hard working. His company is successful and continues to grow.

I find myself thinking that Ed got the brains, and I got the guitar. We have been blessed. 

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Image by un-perfekt from Pixabay