Joe Parker met a fellow two months ago in Hawaii. Joe didn't know this man or his family when he offered to take their photograph. By the end of the day they knew they were closely connected, for they share a very significant ancestor in common.
Joe had moved to Hawaii a year ago seeking a change for the better in his life. Rick Hill, the "stranger", was on vacation with his wife and two children. Upon learning that Rick was vacationing from Massachusetts (where Joe was from), they began discussing people they might know in common. "Do you know Dickie Halligan?" Joe asked. When Rick said, "That's my father," Joe was stunned, for that was his father, too (Halligan died in 2002).