Green coincidences
 

A recently-graduated brother from the Fiji chapter I advise proposed about a month ago to his longtime girlfriend, an Alphi Chi who attended U. of Missouri. His grandmother had left three beautiful rings in her estate to Zach and his two siblings to choose from when they came of age. Zach, being the oldest, chose first, his grandmother's actual engagement ring, a beautiful old Europen-cut round center stone with smaller marquis-cut stones on either side, all in platinum. It was given to her by his grandfather about 1923 or 24.

Before Zach gave it to her (about a month ago) he wanted to find out more about the details of the ring. To his surprise, his grandmother--who had graduated from Indiana University in 1922--had been a member of Alphi Chi Omega there! He told me that he realized then that there was a reason he had chosen that ring from the three available.

A happy coincidence, huh?

A few years ago, DH and I moved to Connecticut and decided to join a synagogue. We attended a prospective member event at one synagogue near our home. There were 3 or 4 prospective member couples and a number of officers. I found myself talking to a woman named Bonnie, who was an officer at the synagogue. There was something awfully familiar about her, but I couldn't put my finger on it...

...until she mentioned that she was a national officer of a sorority. I asked her which one, and she said "Alpha Epsilon Phi." Yup, I was talking to none other than Bonnie Wunsch, who is currently AEPhi's executive director. I'd met her years ago during my chapter's colonization.

We joined a different synagogue, though.

Okay, I've got two more big coincidences:

When I was in grammar school, I used to hang around with this one girl occasionally. We had our "own school bathroom" where we'd go & talk about everything. I had closer friends, but there was something about her; we seemed somehow alike. I was reading a copy of the Arrow, (our magazine) when I saw her name listed as a member of our Alpha chapter at Monmouth College. I was not surprized to find that we'd both become Pi Phis.

Also, while in college one of my Pi Phi roomates and I used to go to horse shows and horse barns together. Sixteen years later I was at a cat show and ran into her again - we were both showing cats this time, although different breeds. She was in my wedding two years later, thanks to this coincidental meeting.

Who else has coincidences, warm and fuzzy preferred? Or else just plain unusual ones? :)

So I was rereading the thread about family members that are Greeks and I completely forgot about my cousin-in-laws. I am on an ASA volunteer team with my husband's 4th cousin's wife. I saw her name, where she used to live and sure enough, she's a relative by marriage.

Later, through looking at a membership directory, I discovered my husband's 2nd cousin is a sister.

One of my sisters went to Ireland and brought back with her a pin of my family name's coat of arms. Turns out the Sweeney family crest is green and yellow, similar to my sorority colors of emerald green and gold