"Synchronicity abounds when we're on the road, away from home."

The Power of Flow, p. 20
 

Back in 1993, my sister and I were traveling overseas, and were staying in Ireland. we were desperate to go to a place in Italy called Taormina, as this is where the movie "The Big Blue" was made, which starred my sister’s favorite actor, Jean Marc Barr. So one day we go visit the travel agent to check out airfares and to our horror, they were so expensive it was way beyond our budget. So downhearted and nearly in tears, we decided to travel over to Amsterdam, for a couple of nights. - not much of a consolation !!

It was a long and exhausting trip by boat, but we arrived safe and ended up staying in a B&B which was a bit on the dingy side. We were supposed to stay two nights there but the next morning after getting up, we decided we'd leave and head back over to London and stay there instead for a few days.  We had packed our things, and walked out of the B&B in search of something to eat, and just outside the restaurant walking towards us on the footpath was Jean Marc Barr himself !!  My sister and stood there in absolute fright, we were shaking and almost hysterical, and by the time I could get my video camera out and focused I only got the back of him crossing the street. It was like an angel out of heaven, just a few seconds and then gone.

To us it was like we couldn’t afford to go to Italy just to stand on the same ground where he had filmed that movie, but he actually walked past us in a different country, which we had no intention of originally visiting.  And if we had of stayed the extra night, we wouldn’t have been packed and out looking for breakfast, and would have missed walking past him. That is just one amazing experience we will never ever forget.

 Clare, Australia

I had been working in Memphis, Tennessee. That job had wrapped up and I was packing my truck, heading home. Walking back and forth from my rented room and my truck I glanced down at the ground and saw a business card on the ground. The name on it was Smith from the same company I had just left. I don't remember this guy giving me his card, but I guess he did because I had it. Two hours later I was driving West on I-40 when I got trapped behind an 18-wheeler. I had to slow down for a bit while traffic passed me by. I happen to glance at the rear door of the truck which said, "Expect something special from Smith."  I arrived home late. My wife had already eaten supper. She was, however, cooking something in the oven which smelled very nice. I asked her what was cooking. Apple pie, she replied. I don't like apple anything so I didn't think anything more of it. She was eating some of this pie later and she mentioned how good it was and that I should try it. I did so and it was delicious. I asked her if she made this or bought it. Bought it, she said -- and the brand was "Mrs Smith's."

E.C., United States

When I was about 14 or15, the country song "John Deer Green" was popular. My friend and I were with her parents on a trip to the Sallisaw, Oklahoma, dam and we brought up the subject of the song, and like five seconds later it came on the radio. We were singing along and we came to a intersection and on the corner was an abandoned building with graffiti on it. In the center of it in green spray paint it said Billy Bob loves Charlene -- just like the song. We saw it while the song was playing. It was just too cool.

 Rebecca
 kittiecat702@yahoo.com
 

My wife and I were once driving on the Jersey turnpike and we were arguing some, and she said, "I was just thinking how your mother dumps a lot of her garbage on you, and dumped a lot of her garbage on you as a kid." And while she is saying this, a garbage truck roars past us, with my mother's name on the side -- which was also the name of the New Jersey town it came from!

   D.E., New Jersey
 

I was out of work in my field for a period of five years, and survived by working at times on three different jobs. All that time, I kept my faith and beliefs, that this was only a transition period, with a purpose.  One of the jobs I took on was selling retail  advertising on, of all things, 55-gallon fish tanks. These tanks were placed and maintained in the lobbies of motels, professional offices, and restaurants at no cost to the owners. I had left a motel in Ledgewood, N.J., and got onto Route 80 heading for Route 10 when I started to pray out loud, and at the top of my voice cried, "Help me, Lord. I can't take this much more. Help me get back into my field. Please," I asked in sheer desperation, "Show me a sign that I am being heard."

With tears blurring my vision, I turned off Route 80, and came upon a car that had pulled to the side of the road to let others pass.  The car's presence had caused a back-up, and no one was stopping to see what the problem was. I decided to pull directly behind the car to help. As I did so, I broke down emotionally, for there in the rear window of the car was a golden cross with lines emanating rays of light, glowing in splendor as the sun rays hit upon it. As I pulled myself together, I approached the driver of the car to ask what the problem was, and if I could help. The driver of the vehicle told me that his car suddenly quit running for no apparent reason. He had been sitting there for at least ten minutes, and I was the first one who had stopped to offer assistance. I then suggested that I push his car with mine to the end of the exit to get his car off the road way. Upon safely getting both of us out of the stream of traffic, I proceeded to talk to the gentleman about my problems, as we both stood alongside our cars. This man was a minister of a local church, and as I began to relate my story for a sign from God, he smiled and took my hand.

You see, he too had been praying for a sign. He had a small congregation and was contemplating leaving the area. He felt he wasn't doing much good and wasn't sure if he was being effective. He now had the answer, and that was to stay. Why? Because he now realized it wasn't the sheer number of people he could help, but it was the individual on a one-to-one basis that really counts. After speaking to each other for about 20 minutes, I suggested he get back into his car and start it. "Are you sure the car will start?" he asked. "Yes, it will," I replied. I had a gut feeling the car would start and it did. We both smiled, shook hands while we wished each other well, and said goodbye. You may call our meeting a coincidence if you wish, but to both of us it was more than that. It was an incident in life few have the good fortune to experience, and one I cherish dearly. Two weeks after this encounter, I again requested a sign as I approached a traffic light in Oakland. When I got home, I discovered I had received a letter from Lockheed Electronics Co., offering me a position with them. I accepted without hesitation, and retired 11 years later. Do I believe? You bet I do.

                                                Anton Oswald, Wayne, N.J.
 

It was the last day of a weeklong conference in early December. As I left my hotel room on my way to the meeting, I noticed a penny on the floor right outside my door. I bent down, picked it up and proceeded to the convention center. On my way, I decided that I had had enough of meetings and that I would start my Christmas shopping instead. I went down to the hotel concierge to find out about local shopping. As I waited for the concierge to finish with the guest before me, I noticed a penny on the floor by my foot. I bent down and picked it up. The concierge gave me brochures for two big malls in Atlanta, as well as walking directions to the subway. While I was walking through the maze of buildings, on my way to the subway, I decided that I really wasn't in the mood for mall shopping and would much prefer shopping in specialty shops for different kinds of gifts. The thought had no sooner crossed my mind when I turned the corner, and found myself in the middle of a food court, surrounded by specialty shops. I started my shopping, met some great people and decided it was time for a coffee break. As I walked toward the coffee vendor, I lost my footing, spun around a bit, and lost my balance. Although I didn't fall, I had turned about 90 degrees and found myself looking into a bookstore, directly at a bookshelf. The only title that I could see clearly was Small Miracles. I looked down to see why I had slipped and there, on the floor was a penny. I picked it up and went into the bookstore and purchased the book.

I proceeded to the coffee vendor, found another penny at my foot while they got my coffee. I found a seat and began reading the book, which, surprise . . . is all about coincidences. Believe it or not, the introduction even makes references to finding pennies! Okay, so now I am paying attention. Awhile later, I head back to my room to check out and catch my flight at the airport. When I arrived, my flight was cancelled. The next flight home was full, so I was rebooked on another flight to another destination that would eventually get me home to Providence in two flights. As I approached the new gate for the rebooked flight, I heard someone call my name. It was a man I had graduated college with 15 years before, that I hadn't seen since! As we caught up, they made an announcement that the flight would be delayed, that would cause me to miss my connection. He offered to let me stay with him and catch an early flight out in the morning. Amazing!

I needed to call home to let them know that I would not be home that night, but the lines for the phones were outrageous. I walked down to one of the gates with a shorter line and waited my turn in the phone line. I was next in line and dropped my calling card. As I bent down to pick it up, I noticed a penny at my foot. Of course I picked it up. As I lifted my head, I looked up to see a colleague making a phone call. I had not seen him in over a year! Our eyes met, he smiled and motioned for me to wait for him. As he came over to me, he was smiling, shaking his head and reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper that had a list on it. My name was on the list of people to call the next day. Although we hadn't done business together for over a year, he had just signed a contract that day that he wanted to talk to me about working on. Just out of curiosity, I asked him where he was headed. He was going direct to St. Louis, I was headed to Pittsburgh. I asked him why he was making a call at the Portland, Maine gate and he said that he just kept walking until he got to the shortest telephone line!

As I walked back to the Pittsburgh gate, I noticed that the full Providence flight was in the final boarding stages. Something made me approach the desk and ask if there were any more seats. The attendant informed me that there was one more seat, changed my ticket and I was on my way home via the direct route. I was the last passenger to board the plane. As I went to sit down, there was a penny on my seat! The man in the seat next to me commented on the smile I had on my face. He said I looked like the cat that ate the canary. I told him the story of my day, starting with the first penny outside my hotel room and ending with the one I had just found on my seat. As I looked at the penny, I noticed the words, "In God We Trust". He and I talked a lot about life and process and coincidences and paying attention on that flight.

As we were waiting to deplane, he shook my hand and thanked me for sharing my days events. He said that he needed to be reminded to trust. He said that he needed to be reminded about faith. He said that he needed to be reminded to pay attention to what was happening around him. He said, with tears in his eyes, that my story was just what he needed to hear to wake him up before he lost his wife and family. He told me that when he had left on his trip, his wife told him she wanted a divorce, because she told him that he had become disconnected from life and wasn't paying attention. As we walked off the plane, I watched him hug his wife and whisper something in her ear. She smiled and hugged him back. I smiled at him, waved and wiped away a tear. And when I went to call my ride, I found a quarter!!! And I have been finding pennies ever since. And I always pay attention!

skiseasun@aol.com
 

My daughter April returned to the United States on July 27 from a 2-month mission trip to Bosnia. She and her friends arrived at the Newark airport later than expected. Her friend Jason danced ahead of the group, glad to be back in the United States. April looked up and saw him shaking hands with someone. "Now Jason is really getting carried away with his excitement, shaking hands with strangers," she thought. Then she took a second look. He was shaking hands with her cousin Drew, who was returning from a 2-month mission in Ecuador. She and Drew did a running hug right there in the airport and got to visit for several minutes while waiting in line for customs--before she headed to Denver and he headed to Chicago. This was particularly heartening to me and to my sister (Drew's mom) because Drew's parents had left the United States for a 2-year mission in Suriname during the 2 months Drew had been in Ethiopia. It was weighing on me that Drew was returning to Chicago and his parents were gone. And my heart smiled when I knew that April and Drew had been there for each other. Several things had to be just right for them to meet like this. Neither knew the other one was flying into Newark. Not only was April's plane late, but Drew's plane had been early. Not only was April's friend Jason ahead of his group, but Drew had been lagging behind his group. And . . . Jason was the only other person in April's group that knew Drew.

hawkbufalo@aol.com
 

 
I got on a plane in Pittsburgh, and there was a man sitting in my assigned seat. We thought it was a mistake, but when we compared our boarding passes, we discovered we both had the same name! Not only that -- my middle name was his confirmation name, and his middle name was my confirmation name. He asked me what I did for a living. I work in the music industry as recording engineer -- and so did he!

 P.H., New York
 

Last year, returning from an international conference, I had a three- day stopover on my own, in Amsterdam. My first reaction was that I didn't like the city, and I told my daughter on the phone that I would try to get an earlier flight home. I couldn't, so I decided to walk down the main street. There I saw a large banner advertising an exhibition of Salvador Dali, my favorite artist, my inspiration. In it, was the original artwork for his Tarot cards, the ones that I use. Needless to say, I was very excited and stayed many hours at this magnificent show. Later that day, I spotted a poster for an exhibition at a gallery of a favorite American artist. I had seen his work only in magazines; there I saw his original paintings. I could not believe my lucky stars. The following day I got braver and decided to take the train to visit the main office of the organization that had sponsored the international conference. As I got off the streetcar and marched to the front door, the newly elected president was having his picture taken outside the front office and he included me in it. I had wanted to meet him before at the conference, but had not succeeded because I was one in 2,500 people attending. A small group of us went out for lunch with him and I had the privilege to sit beside him. If I had succeeded to alter my travel plans for those three days, I would have missed all these incredible happenings. I was on a high for months after.

 S.C., Ontario
 

I was visiting my daughter Kim in Vancouver, Canada, with whom I have a very close and wacky relationship. We had decided to take a jaunt to Seattle for a little shopping. As we were sitting in our rented car with my 89-year-old mom and Kim's boyfriend, we were detained by road crews. Kim and I were joking that we were going "about as fast as a horse and buggy would go." We saw ourselves as an Amish family in their fancy buggy with a beautiful horse pulling us at a sedate pace. Our story got more vivid as we imagined ourselves in Amish garments complete with bonnets etc. Finally, we speeded up and as we passed through Everett, we stared at a big billboard sign that read, "Welcome to Everett, Washington, Home of Amish Lumber and Fine Furniture Makers" complete with a beautiful picture of an Amish horse and buggy. We have never forgotten that wonderful piece of synchronicity. I find these things come to me through my "sense of humor," so I have to "think seriously" about what is funny to me, which is a difficult habit to get used to!!!!

Colleen Way, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
ccridercan@yahoo.com
 

One of my simple "synchs" happened last Thursday when going into Minneapolis from my rural community. I was driving along wondering exactly how to get to where I wanted to go, and whoops! I missed the freeway turnoff. I thought I should go on. Found myself on another one that led directly to the place and turned into the driveway to exactly the store I was headed for and a parking place two stalls in -- walked into the exact department I was going for! WOW!

 J.C., Minnesota
 

I was returning from a trip to California to visit my aunt in January of 2000. I had rented a car for the trip, and had a very tight budget. The weather in California was milder than here in the Pacific Northwest and while the snow storms covering the passes seemed to be far Away. After I started on my journey home, I was not so sure I was going to make it. I did not have the money to buy chains for the car. The road conditions kept changing, almost on an hourly basis. and as I traveled further north, closer to home, the clouds in the northern sky kept getting darker and heavier. I was overcome with fear and doubt. Should I use the last of my money for a motel and wait out the storm? Should I use the last of my money to buy chains (that I would never use again)? Or should I trust in "the flow" to get me through????? I pulled off into a rest area in northern California. Got out and stretched my legs and tried to meditate on what to do. Just as I was getting back into the car, still unsure of my decision, I saw the people all around me, pointing and looking upward into the sky. Then I heard them….the sounds of thousands of Canadian geese. They virtually covered the sky, reached my ears.  And I KNEW  I was going to make it just fine. As I watched them fly in their majestic pattern, a sense of peace and well being took over my feelings of fear. I knew I would make it thru and I knew that something very important had just happened in my life.

As I headed for that last stretch of highway, thru the Siskiyou Pass, I turned my radio to the local road channel. There were California Highway Patrolman everywhere, stopping people to check if they had chains or not. As I slowed down to talk to one, I heard his dispatcher tell him that the storm was just arriving in the pass, and he was to start blocking all traffic headed north, in 10 minutes. He and I looked at each other (He realized I had heard the same thing he had).   I pleaded with my eyes, I REALLY need to go home. And with a hesitant smile, he waved me thru. The travel was very slow, but I was able to continue northbound. Just as I was passing the last turnaround before the summit, the snow clouds opened up and dropped a huge amount of snow. I stayed  over in the right lane,  but kept on driving.  I heard the road/weather channel announcer say that no more cars would be allowed to go thru. All other vehicles were being turned around, even those with chains. It took me about 7 hours to drive what would have ordinarily taken 3 hours, but I did make it home, safe and sound. I now know to listen to that inner voice, believe in my internal self, and trust the flow.  I just ordered the book, and we'll see where it takes me. 

jisaacson@police.coosbay.org (Jude Isaacson)

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