Coincidence, Messages From Beyond .. or …?

I had a very restless night last night, dreaming about all sorts of people from my past – friends, family and clients from many years ago.

One series of dreams that kept recurring concerned a friend of mine whom I have known for over 35 years.  My friend Christopher is a great guy with a huge heart - a talented producer and director who shares interesting musings every weekend from “the shed”.  The shed is in his backyard and from it emanate thoughts and ideas that inspire thoughtful introspection, dialog and sometimes just a good laugh.  I often checked into Facebook on a Friday night to see what would come from “the shed”.

I kept dreaming that people were telling me that he had passed away and that we were saddened by the loss of his kind heart, his friendship and his musings from “the shed”.

When I awoke this morning, I learned that “Big Tom” Fitzgerald, a well-known radio personality for K-Rock radio in the area where Christopher lives, had passed away overnight.

“Big Tom”, who like Christopher is known for a heart larger than Life, was well-known for his live broadcast every Saturday from a mobile studio known as “the shed”.  The live request program was known as “Saturday in the Shed with Big Tom”.   I’ve met Big Tom – his gentle heart was obvious to me and to everyone who met him.

I found it unusual that I dreamt of the passing of a friend over 6000 kilometers away who is famous for his “musings from the shed” and on the same night, another personality in a similar industry in the same part of the world who broadcasts from “the shed” on Saturdays actually passed away.

As a long-time corporate strategy guy, I don’t believe in coincidences.  Everything in the world happens with purpose behind it.  However, as a long-time pragmatic, often sceptical, observer, I wrestle with things that appear to have a supernatural flavor to them and so I tend to write such things off as coincidence or the product of overactive imaginations.

But then my brain returns to my personal belief that there are no coincidences.

So I’m left to wonder what, if anything, this means.

Is there a message for me here?

Perhaps there is a message for Christopher in this.

Maybe there is no message and it’s all a coincidence.

Ah yes .. maybe.  But have I told you that I don’t believe in coincidences?

In the meantime as my brain ponders this unusual event, I offer my deepest condolences to the Fitzgerald family.  “Big Tom” had a big heart and will be missed by many who were blessed to meet him and who enjoyed his weekly broadcast from “the shed”.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

Addendum – April 30, 2012

Big Tom is being buried today.  I was surprised to hear that he is being buried at St. Michael’s Church on Bell Island, the parish that my ancestors attended.  Rest in Peace, Big Tom.