Cambridge Coincidences Collection

About twelve years ago my Mother was a resident in an old people's home in Cumbria. Every three months or so I would drive up there, stay with my sister and pay a couple of visits to her over a weekend. I usually returned to London on a Monday but on this particular visit I came back on a Sunday. This was a hot day in August and the traffic on the M6 and M1 was very heavy. As usual I stopped about half way down the M1, re-fuelled and had a coffee. On returning to my car, I had just put the key in the door of my car when a smart Mercedes stopped on the other side. An Italian looking man lowered his window and somewhat to my surprise asked me to post a parcel for him. I asked him why he did not do so himself. He said he was going on to Heathrow to catch a flight where there was no Post Office and he didn't have time to make other arrangements. I told him I had no intention of posting his parcel. He gave me a fairly venomous look and drove off. I tried to remember his number but failed. Two years later I had to meet an actress friend of mine who was appearing at the Aldwych in a musical. We arranged to meet in a coffee bar close to the Drury Lane theatre.

My wife received a new PIN number for her debit card and she asked me to change it to one she would remember. When I got to the hole in the wall I peeled back the security tab only to see it was the number she wanted!

I attend a large state university in the U.S, and in the summer of 2011 enrolled in a political science course. The professor gave me the opportunity to assist him in a research project regarding local history and politics. While scanning through the library's online catalog of holdings in my area of interest, I came across a poverty book authored by a man with an rather uncommon last name; the same uncommon last name as a friend of mine in high school. I remembered my friend telling me that his grandfather was a retired professor of social work at my university, and I immediately realized that this book in the catalog had been written by him. Feeling that this would give my friend a kick, knowing I had coincidentally stumbled upon his grandfather's work, I sent him a message via Facebook telling him what had happened. As it turned out, he was presently mourning the death of that same grandfather, who had passed away on either the same day, or the day right before or after I had been doing the research and found the book.

During my retirement in Spain I was involved in a serious motor accident which left me badly incapacitated. Six months later, with hip and leg pain injury I was still obliged to use crutches and my golfing career had come to an abrupt end. One morning, sitting alone on my patio (my wife having gone to golf) I noticed an elderly couple calling house to house. My neighbours seemed to give them short shrift and eventually the couple approached me. With nothing particular to do I invited them in for coffee and a chat. They proved to be charming people and after relating their career experiences the conversation inevitably turned to religion. Despite my own disbelief we engaged in a lively discussion such that, taking his leave, the husband turned around and said "When I retire tonight I shall kneel at my bed and ask the Lord if he may relieve your burden". His wife then made a similar promise. On rising next morning, every pain in my body had gone. Where before I could scarcely stand unaided I now walked normally. My crutches were redundant. The next day I was playing golf.