Let's Talk About...Coincidences

Ok. I believe that there are no such things as coincidences.

Merriam-Webster defines coincidence as "the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection."

However, the Oxford Dictionary of English's definition is "a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances that have no apparent causal connection with one another."

Connection or no connection? I think there is usually a connection.

Of course, some things happen "by accident" like dropping a can of soda on your foot. But other things happen that are not so easily explained.

For example, do you ever find yourself "at the right place at the right time" and can't believe your "luck?" Remarkable, yet no apparent causal connection.

For instance, doesn't everyone meet by coincidence? We happen to be at the same place at the same time and, voila, you look up from your phone and your future spouse is standing right in front of you. Think of the variables that had to come together to make that happen. Why now? Why here? Sometimes the stars just align.

But a real coincidence is when you meet someone who comes from the same tiny town in Nebraska and your mothers were best friends in high school. That's just weird.

We have all heard of twins reunited after being separated at birth because they stumbled upon each other in the shampoo aisle at Walmart.

Or the person who rebooks his flight at the last minute to find out later that the original flight crashes.

Or the coincidence of the moon passing in front of the sun. We all line up for the resulting eclipse. Clearly the stars align for that.

Most commonly, you might be thinking about an old friend and then you look up at the produce section and there he is. Haven't we all been to a play or concert and there, two rows back, is an old friend we haven't seen in 10 years? Is that a coincidence? Or are the heavens talking to you?

Did you know Stephen Hawking shares his birth and death dates with Galileo and Einstein?

What are the odds? Do you think that is just a coincidence?

Sometimes coincidences are downright creepy.

These things happen all the time. But when they happen, tune in, pay attention, and embrace what the heavens are telling you.

Let me share a story. One night, I woke up at 3:11 a.m. I know the time because I looked at the digital clock glaring next to me. I looked around, wondering if I had to go to the bathroom. I didn't. So, I went back to sleep. The next morning, I got a call telling me my grandmother had passed away the night before. I asked, "What time?" You guessed it, "3:11 a.m."

Was it a coincidence that I woke up at that moment? And that I actually remembered the time? I think not. I can't remember what I had for breakfast today.

My three children were all born on rainy Mondays. And one was in August. That may be a coincidence but what does it mean? Or does it mean anything? All I can say is, unlike the Carpenter's song about rainy days and Mondays, my children have never let me down. Just saying.

Is there a divine action involved?

Are some things just "meant to be?"

Like when you are one of six siblings and you meet what turns out to be your new best friend who is also one of six. But not just simply one of six. Three boys and three girls all in the same birth order as your family. And you are both the youngest girl and number four in the lineup. Coincidence? I have only encountered someone like that once so the odds of stumbling upon another person with the same specs is pretty slim.

Are the gods sending us a "life raft" with these kinds of "coincidences?" Kind of like when someone is lost at sea and is spotted by a ship that inexplicably is off course in 63.8 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Is there a hidden message like, get your life back on track? I don't know.

Maybe things like that are "just coincidences" or "dumb luck."

Or just maybe when you are tuned into your Spidey-sense and you are ready, the heavens provide. There may be "no apparent causal connection with one another," but that doesn't mean there isn't a connection.

Just pay attention.