The "I Always Seem To Know Someone!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Running some errands with my wife and ended up at the Manheim Township Public Library which was a 5 minute walk from our old home on Harrington Drive.  We entered the library and Carol began looking for a few books that she had wanted while I went to the check-out to get a new library card.  At one time I had a library card, but must had misplaced it during the past couple of years.  Walked to the counter and stood in line to wait for the young girl to finish checking in the customers in front of me.  My wife joined me a few minutes later and before long we were at the front of the line.  She began to talk to the girl who started to check out her books.  My wife asked if I could fill out a form so I could get a new library card of my own.  She handed a form to Carol who in turn  handed it to me.  I quickly filled in the information as Carol was finalizing her information and handed my card back to the girl who didn't bother to look at me.  She read the first line and while still looking down at the form said,  "MR. WOODS...I had a Mr. Woods as a teacher when I went to Manheim Township High School years ago.  At this point she looked up at me and said..."MR. WOODS!!!  You still look the same!"  I recognized the face of the young girl, but had forgotten her name during the past 20 or so years since I had retired from teaching, so I asked what her name was.  "Crystal Witmer," she told me.  I did remember the first name, since a name such as Crystal doesn't come along very often.  We talked about when she was a student in my class at Manheim Township High School and talked about her life in the past couple of years.  Luckily there was no one in line behind me so we had a chance to catch up on times long ago.  I finally got my new library card and thanked Crystal for helping me.  Seems that there are very few places that I go where I don't find a former student whom I taught in either wood shop, metal shop, graphic arts or photography, especially if the places that I am visiting are in Manheim Township where I taught high school for 35 years.  I enjoy it so much when I find a former student from one of my classes, especially if they also remember me.  There are a few whom I had forgotten their name, especially if they were shy and quiet in my class.  Crystal, Carol and I talked a few minutes then Carol asked her if she lives near the library.  She said she lives in the 900 block of Janet Ave. which is in the Grandview Heights area of Manheim Township.  Carol looked at her and told her we also lived in the 900 block of Janet as did my parents.  Carol told her my parents old address and sure enough...it is the house in which she and her husband now live.  Crystal looked at us in misbelief.  What are the chances of that happening?  Well, we departed with Carol's new book she had just checked out.  Will be fun to return it in a few weeks in hopes of seeing Crystal once again...or perhaps another former student whom I might have had in class during their time at Manheim Township High School.  It seems to happen quit often, so it does.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.