Have you ever thought of someone right before he or she called or texted you? Or maybe something happened that made you feel like you were in the right place at the right time.
That’s synchronicity. A term first coined by Carl Jung to describe meaningful coincidences in our lives.
I have experienced synchronous events, both big and small. What I’m about to share may be my most profound experience with synchronicity. (Names have been changed.)
A Childhood Friend
I met Lynn in the second grade. We clicked immediately and had lots in common! We were both shy and quiet. We’re both Filipina. We were good students. And we were the cutest and shortest kids in the class.
When Lynn moved away in the third grade, I didn’t lose a buddy… I gained a pen pal! We kept in touch over the years and continued to write letters to each other. She even came to my Sweet Sixteen party. We kept in touch throughout high school and college, but at some point, and for whatever reason, the communication stopped.
How We Reconnected
One day, I was riding a crosstown bus in New York City. Although I’m usually oblivious and don’t pay attention to what’s going on around me, I noticed a familiar looking young lady on the bus.
It had been like 10 years since we’d seen each other. Lynn had moved back to New York, we both worked in Manhattan, and we just happened to be on the same bus. What a coincidence!
We stayed in touch after we had reconnected. Whenever we got together, we’d talk about life, health, work, and/or love. During one of our conversations, she described the kind of guy she was attracted to. I thought she might like John, a cute, funny, and nice Latino guy who was friends with my college classmate, Vin.
I invited Lynn as my guest to one of Vin’s parties. Though parties weren’t her thing, I mentioned John would probably be there (wink wink). We went, and that night, Lynn and John met.
Save the Date
Fast forward about ten years. I got an invitation to Lynn’s and John’s wedding! I knew I couldn’t miss their special day. She was my oldest friend, and I was the one who introduced them. I was living in Atlanta at the time, and I was determined to go even if I had to drive all the way to New York. Luckily, I found a reasonably priced flight so I didn’t have to.
The Week of the Wedding
The week of the wedding, my mother was admitted to the hospital. She was in pain and couldn’t walk. I had just seen her a few months before and she looked “good” for someone who was undergoing chemo treatments.
Shortly after my flight landed in New York, I visited my mom in the hospital. She didn’t look the same. Her face was so swollen. The doctors said the pain in her feet was from nerve damage caused by the chemo. Still, I thought she would be able to go home soon.
The next day I attended Lynn and John’s wedding at a Buddhist temple where the monks performed the ceremony. It was a lovely and intimate gathering of family and friends. And I had bragging rights because I was the one who introduced the happy couple. I even shared some pictures with my mom after the reception.
I was hopeful that my mom would be okay, but her health quickly declined. Each day she developed a new complication. She was on heavy duty drugs to manage the pain, but it also made her sleep most of the time. She wasn’t eating and had trouble breathing. Then she developed pneumonia.
God and Synchronicity
I believe God works in mysterious ways through synchronicity.
Synchronicity reconnected me with a childhood friend on a bus ride. I introduced that friend to her future husband, and ultimately, their wedding would bring me back in town in time to see my mom before she passed away.
Even after five years since my mom’s passing, I’m still in awe of this profound synchronicity.
