Mavis Wheatcroft

The world continues to surprise me with the gift of people in my life. Yesterday David and I made the trip to Saskatoon. I picked him up from work and drove the first couple of hours. Then, in Drumheller, David took over and drove the next four and a half hours to Saskatoon. I rested; he drove. He is used to driving my truck, but still it takes something to get into a strange vehicle and drive so far, just to help a friend.

That blessing of people continued as we arrived at the Sheraton Four Points here in Saskatoon. We had just checked in when I hear "Richard McBride, is that you?" It was Mavis Wheatcroft and her husband. Mavis and I worked together on a couple of projects at the CBE. We also have this habit of meeting in strange places far away from Calgary.

Our first meeting was in 2010, in, of all places, the Beijing Airport. Mavis, along with several other Calgary Board of Education Principals, was on the advisory board for the Office 2010 project I was handling at the CBE. I had been trying to get these very busy Principals into a meeting to discuss the project planning and ultimate launch. Unfortunately Mavis and a group of Principals were going to India for a one month educational exchange.

At the same time, I got a call to handle a training class in Seoul, Korea. I booked my flight from Vancouver. I was living in Abbotsford at that time, commuting to Calgary. That flight took me to Seoul via Beijing. I arrived there and disembarked to change planes, however this transfer required that all passengers line up at passport control and show their papers.

While standing in that line, I got to chatting with the fellow next to me. He was from Calgary. Really? He worked with the CBE. Really, so did I! His name was Jeff Turner. I told him my name and let him know he was on my project advisory board back in Calgary. I then discovered that Mavis Wheatcroft, another of my advisory board members, was in the group too! So we all got together with some of the other Principals in the group and had our first board meeting there in the bar at the Beijing Airport.

Life went by. Time went by. I was diagnosed with ALS and Mavis came to Betty's Run that year. Then more of life changed. She retired. I lived longer than planned. And all of this happenstance brought us to the lobby of the Sheraton Four Points Saskatoon last night, where we once again crossed paths.

David, Mavis, Pat and myself all got together in a bar, once again. It seems like a theme. But this time neither of us worked for the CBE. So we talked about life, about living, about what we were doing. I'm going to ask Mavis and her husband to dinner soon. These happenstances are too good to be left behind. I love that I get to meet wonderful people, even more than I already have in my life. I love that I meet them in the oddest places. I love that I have such good friends, like David and Ann, who make all this possible.