EuroMegavacation Episode 6 - There are 8 Billion people and I Bump into Ellen Shields' Niece in Germany

This is the craziest story that I brought back from Germany.  We always say that Montana is a small place, but it isn't just in Montana.  This story proves that.

While we were in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, I saw a gift in the window of this shop that I thought would be great for our friend Casey (who was watching Ginger and the house for us while we were gone), but it was late and they were closed.  Matt and I went back the next afternoon.  The open sign was there, but the door was locked. We were turning to leave when the artist unlocked the door and invited us in. She was working on paintings for her Etsy shop at her desk at the rear of the tiny shop, but had forgotten to flip the sign to closed.  Though we had an item in mind already, Matt and I started looking around at her other painted wares.

 After hearing Matt and me speak to each other, the shopkeeper asked where we were from.  She volunteered that she was originally from Wisconsin. She married a German guy and is now making art and living the dream in Rothenburg odt. We said we were from Montana.  She perked up and asked which town.  We told her and she inquired about the college there.  I mentioned the private college where I work and the state school that is my alma mater.  She said she had a "Swedish aunt" who had moved to Montana, and when she died, she left all her money to the state college for a scholarship. I said I had won a scholarship there, that's why I came. I was going to go to a different college until I won this full-ride scholarship.  That made the decision for me.

The shopkeeper got as far as "My aunt's name was Ellen..." and I finished it, "Ellen Shields?!?"

....and, it's just unbelievable, but...the money her aunt left to the school...

IT WAS THE SCHOLARSHIP THAT I WON!  My full-ride!

So then I got to tell her how it changed my life. I was going to move further west and go to a "cool" mountain town with "hippies."  There was no arguing with free college though, so, like I said, that made the decision for me.  Which led me to meet Matt (and Casey and so many others) and where I fell into librarianship and where I made my home and... yeah... winning that scholarship changed my life.   Without it, Matt and I wouldn't be in Germany talking to her.  I told her that her aunt had saved me 40k! The shopkeeper laughed and said she was still paying off her student loans.  It gave me goosebumps. Matt was emphatic, too.  He is so grateful that the happenstance of life decisions brought us together--and her told her so.  

The shopkeeper got a little choked up. She said part of her always wondered if it was really true, that the scholarship was a real deal. She was so happy to learn that it was--and that it has such a lasting impact.  She asked to take my photo to share with her relatives and I happily obliged.

Then we bought Casey her present. It was the last one in the store.  Perfect.

This is the shop--Rustika Romantika.  Her Etsy shop is called SwedeBavaria.  All the photos in this post are from our visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

It was a truly bizarre shopping trip!  Matt and I talked about it on and off for the next couple of days.  "Can you believe that happened?!?"  It was incredible.  Unbelievable.  Just flat out crazy.  There are eight billion people on the earth and without even trying, I just bumped into this remarkable human connection.  It was really cool.