Uncle Richard and Mike

Tonight, after getting home from a party at Will's, Mike and I were talking about some of the places he's lived and worked.  When he mentioned Ft. Valley,  Georgia, I asked if he happened to know my Uncle Richard who died two days ago.

"Oh yeah!" he said.  "I love that guy.  He used to own the best hardware store in town and I went in there all the time and we talked.  He was a great friend of mine!"

Mike has lived in seven states.  How likely is it that he would know my uncle and be friends with him before we ever met?

Over and over, Mike and I discover coincidences--but this one tops them all!  How strange the turns of the road: Mike and I met in Hope, Arkansas; we lived together for a while in Georgia where I grew up;  he lived in Memphis where my parents married; and he happens to be at my house in Texas when we learn that Richard has died, Richard my mother's little brother and Mike's good friend.