Coincidences

[KSUViolet06]

Fall of freshman year, there was a PX who was also my orientation instructor (let's call her Megan) who became my friend and tried to get me to sign up for recruitment. She would talk about her sorority all the time, so I signed up but changed my mind at the last minute and withdrew my app the week before.

I never figured out which of the sororities Megan was in because when she taught orientation she was a PX so she never mentioned her sorority by name. Even after that, since she was teaching, she didn't wear letters or a lavaliere or anything so I had no clue.

Next semester, I got a phonecall from Megan (who was on PHC Exec), asking if I wanted my info to be put on the list of girls who withdrew from recruitment but are still interested in sororities. Every sorority gets the list and sororities can contact them and invite them to COB events. I said no.

Fast forward to spring of sophomore year. I decide to check out COB at Sigma. Guess who was there? Yep. Megan, and she was one of the recruitment chairs. I ended up joining and she was my Pearl Pal.

[WaterChild]

I wore olive green shorts and a white top on the first day of recruitment.

[Psi U MC Vito]

KSU. Is Pearl Pal what you call the big sisters?

[chitownxo]

Until I was about 6, my parents, brothers, and I lived with my grandparents in Chicago. My best friend then was named Eileen. Her father was really into home movies and he always shot a lot of film. Eileen gave me a stuffed owl for my 5th birthday. Her family eventually moved to a northern suburb, my family moved to the southern suburbs. We lost touch, but I kept my Owl.

Cut to move-in day at WIU. Mom, Dad & I are stuffing our faces at Wendys when I hear someone squeal, "Nancy?!" My mom looks up and hugs this woman...Eileen's mom. Our dads shake hands, and our moms look at each other and her mom says, "Don't you two remember, you used to play in the sandbox together?" We both shook our heads. Then my mom says, "Eileen gave you your owl." Still didn't remember her, but I thanked her again for the owl.

I rushed (it was rush back then) in the fall and joined Chi Omega. She rushed in the spring and joined Chi O as well. I was her secret sister. We kept telling everyone we went way back, and we became known as the "Sandbox Buddies"

Eileen wound up running our Senior Sendoff. After all of the wills were read, she dims the lightsand turns on the tv. Her father had transferred some of the old Super 8 movies onto VHS, and our Chapter sisters got to see Eileen and I as 4-year olds at the park. Too cute!

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

KSU. Is Pearl Pal what you call the big sisters?

No, sort of your "buddy" until you get your Big Sis.

[honeychile]

My uncle has two nieces, one by marriage (Beverly) and one biological (me). When I was in the Adelphean for our version of the Sisters of the Year award, Bev called me for the first time (she's something like 20 years older than I) to say that she was an ADPi, too! Further coincidence: the mother of one of the ADPis on GC went to school with Bev.

It still irks my uncle that his step-granddaughter went to a school without ADPi.

[KappaKittyCat]

My favorite earrings, a gift from my mother, have tiny fleur-de-lis dangling from the ends. I didn't notice 'til I wore them to my first Kappa formal.

[rufio]

my best friend from 6th grade ended up as my big brother.

The guy who started my chapter (at ASU) went to the same highschool as me. he graduated from highschool 7 years before I did. i found this out after i joined.

a friend from highschool, not a good friend, kind of like an acquaintence, became a DU at San Jose State. I didnt find out until we ran into each other at Regional Conference.

[PM_Mama00]

Back in 2000 my next door neighbor had a party after his homecoming. His sister is my age and invited me over to have some drinks while she watched after festivities. Some girl went into her grandma's old room with her boyfriend. We wanted to get them out of there so they sent me and I walked in on the girl making out with her boyfriend. A year later that girl went through rush and I found out it was her. She's now my lil sis and has been my best friend for 7 years.

[SCogs18]

When I was young my mom gave me a little gum ball creature, it was a sheep. I've collected these little gum ball animals ever since. Now, 10 years later, I am a member of the Sheep Family!

[PGD-GRAD]

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?

[aephi alum]

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.

[barbino]

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?

[RaggedyAnn]

Originally Posted by barbino

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.

[ASTalumna06]

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