“Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.” Albert Einstein
It was on Christmas Day, 1990 when Cousin Walter in Edinburgh Scotland offered to phone the United States so his dear mother, nearing her 100th birthday, could wish her favorite niece a Merry Christmas.
That niece, my mother, had not been back to Scotland since she left with her family when she was six years old.
Contact between these family members had been limited to holiday cards, photos and notes.
And then, in May 1991, thanks to Walter’s invitation, my mother and I visited our family in Scotland.
The renewal of precious relationships grew over the decades as cousins visited back and forth; our going to Scotland and their coming to Kentucky.
Connections deepened as additional American cousins visited this family in Scotland and hosted Walter and his dear wife, Marlene, when they visited us here.
Years later, we learned that Walter was a patient in the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
The hospital, with an international reputation for its specializations, included patients from around the world, from Europe and the Middle East, and Scottish folk like our dear cousin. He would be in good hands.
One day, Walter mentioned to his nurse, “Your accent sounds American.”
His nurse replied, “Yes, I am from Kentucky.”
Walter said he had visited the beautiful state a few times; he had a cousin who lived in Northern Kentucky.
His nurse said she had grown up in Northern Kentucky.
Walter added, “Perhaps you have heard of Thomas More College. My cousin is a professor there.”
His nurse smiled and said, “I graduated from Thomas More College last May.”
Walter couldn’t wait to tell us.
He learned later that his nurse, when an upperclassman in the nursing program at TMC, was given a choice of the placements for clinical requirements. She had chosen Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland.
She was so pleased with her time at Western General Hospital. And the hospital was so pleased with her, she was told, “We will have a job for you when you graduate.”
And there they were, nurse and patient. Walter, as a patient in the hospital, had a special connection with this part of his medical team.
The sweetest of coincidences.
Judy Harris is well established in Northern Kentucky life, as a longtime elementary and university educator. A graduate of Thomas More, she began her career there in 1980 where she played a key role in teacher education and introduced students to national and international travel experiences. She has traveled and studied extensively abroad. She enjoys retirement yet stays in daily contact with university students.