Dear Annette:
Well, the 6 degrees of separation thing I enjoy immensely as it happens.
Depending on my state of mind, I sometimes think that it is just
mathematical chance (much like the well-known mathematical fact that if you
have 20 randomly chosen people, it is almost a certainty that 2 of them will
have the same birthday) or something that carries deep resonances of
foreknowledge and predestination.
Recently I met a woman through one of my bagpipe students called Jacob.
Jacob's parents were supporters of this woman's carreer as a artist (Name:
Laurie McGaw). They gave me one of Laurie's books as a gift. Mary, my wife,
asked me to ask the parents if this Laurie attended Thistletown Collegiate
in the 1960's and the answer came back yes.
We all met and Mary and Laurie re-acquainted (they had shared one year of
commercial art). Over the next year, and nearly every month in that year, we
found to our increasing delight, that we had more connections:
1: Laurie had been a long-time girl-friend (and near fiance) of Walter
Moffat my best friend and architect for a number of my projects
2: Walter's best friend is brother architect, Adrian diCastri. Adrian is
married to Susan MacDonald who is Registrar of Victoria College at the
University of Toronto. Susan was Mary's boss for 5 years.
3: I had played bagpipes at Sandy Moffat's funeral, (Walter's brother) and
Laurie had been present but this was before we had connected and we passed
like ships in the night.
4: While growing up on Toronto Island, my best friend was Gary Wilson who
lived 2 blocks away. Gary's mother Irene is still alive and a very good
friend of Laurie.
5: Steven M. had arranged for me to play at his wedding but unbknownst to
him, his Best Man arranged for a piper as well.
I arrived to find another piper playing and it was embarrassing for poor
Steven. Steven is the next door neighbour of Laurie.
there are several more but you get the idea. The question is really, how
did we miss each other until the age of 55?
Never know if I should make more of such things or less.
Rory
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