"Small world" is one of those expressions often used in response to finding out someone knows someone else you know or when you bump into someone you knew from another place and time. I had one of those "small world" experiences recently. My small world experience, however, was more of a holy-heck-can-you-believe-this.

Before moving away from Colorado in 1990 I worked in the Golden, CO, branch of Kelly Services as a supervisor. My terrific boss at the time was Mame Fuhrman. I learned a lot from her about staffing and had loads of fun in the process. When my husband and I made the move from Colorado to Southern California I figured I'd miss Mame. I was right. I'd like to say we kept in contact, but we didn't.

Though we planned to be in Southern California briefly, my husband and I became entrenched. I applied what I learned from Mame at Kelly Services to start (and eventually sell) my own staffing company in Palm Desert, CA. My husband was and is in the golf business. Since the valley we lived in back in California has more than 100 golf courses, leaving so many customers so close to our home turned out to be difficult.

Fifteen years later we finally made the move back to Colorado. We landed spring of 2005 near Castle Rock, which was a forgettable community back in the eighties. I remembered Castle Rock as little more than a pit stop between Denver and Colorado Springs. Man, things have changed.

This time living in Colorado involved enrolling two sons in elementary school. Soon after enrollment my older son's class was involved in a special "Colorado Day" presentation for parents. As I strolled around the multi-purpose room at Buffalo Ridge Elementary admiring the displays and costumes, I heard a voice unmistakably familiar. It was more of a blast from the past. I looked to see whose voice was stirring my deja vu. I could not believe my eyes. Bent over listening to a child explaining her display was Mame Fuhrman.

For an instant I thought I had to be mistaken. Mame and I had not seen each other or spoken since working together fifteen years earlier in Golden, CO. What were the chances, really, of bumping into her? Yet, there she stood. I was thrilled and astonished.

Mame and I, as it turns out, have sons about the same age. They were in fourth grade together briefly at Buffalo Ridge and now play in orchestra together as fifth graders. I get to see Mame and her husband, Mark, at all orchestra events. Lucky me.

Colorado felt like home to me throughout the eighties. Leaving was hard and coming back was wonderful. They say you can't go back home, but that turns out to be not necessarily true. Being back in Colorado feels like home thanks to many things, among them the good fortune of having a friend like Mame turn up once again in my life.