When Nancy G. moved to Edgewood in 2022, she never imagined how many threads from her past would reappear. “When the song “It’s a Small World” popped into my head, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something magical was unfolding,” she says.
Before moving to Edgewood, Nancy lived in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where she had no family nearby. Her niece and nephew encouraged her to make the move and relocate closer to them. “Edgewood felt right from the start,” says Nancy. During her first visit, she met Loanne H. who, as it turns out, had lived in Chagrin Falls, a village of just 4,000 people. What were the odds?
Then came Peg W. “We discovered we were both originally from Pittsburgh, and I had attended a small convent school there,” says Nancy. “Peg had taught at that very school, though we’d never met.” Another Edgewood resident, Sally C., had also lived in Chagrin Falls as a child. The connections kept coming.
“When my sister-in-law Rona visited from Maine to hear a concert in our auditorium, she recognized Don A. from nearly 60 years ago when he sang with the Yale Glee Club. Her husband had been the accompanist for their tour!”
One day Nancy found herself playing mahjongg with a group of women just like she used to in Chagrin Falls. “Beth L. invited me to join,” says Nancy, “and we soon discovered we were both from Chagrin Falls and had both worked for the Cleveland Orchestra — though in different buildings — and never crossed paths.”
Nancy’s connections at Edgewood continued to surprise her. “Joan K. and I realized we’re sorority sisters, despite forgetting the secret handshake and password.” And now, a singing acquaintance from Cleveland is moving to Edgewood, while another has relocated to Andover.
“I never expected to find so many echoes of my past in this new chapter of life,” says Nancy. “It truly is a small world.”
Written by Nancy G.