You’ve surely heard the expression, “Only in Rhode Island.”

I’m not talking about the state being near 50th on the list of states when it comes to unemployment, corporate taxes or a litany of other comparisons that invariably put Little Rhody on the bottom rung of the ladder.

“Only in Rhode Island” has a unique way of popping up in the most unusual circumstances. One of my first “only” experiences occurred more than 30 years ago, when were we headed down to my sister’s place in Guilford, Conn., for Thanksgiving. The kids were packed in the car along with Pepper, a sweet dog that was a mix between a black lab and a golden retriever. Given her lineage, she should have been bigger. She had long hair, was black and loved being with people.

Carol had cooked the turkey, which was wrapped in foil and still in the baking pan in the back of the car. The smell had us all thinking of eating, including Pepper, who drooled in anticipation.

We were barely 10 miles away from the Guilford exit on 95 when Pepper’s stomach started making noises like the next eruption of Mount Vesuvius. She looked to be in distress, as did the kids who were sitting with her in the back seat. Thinking that stopping on the shoulder would not be wise with the steady stream of holiday traffic, I pulled off at Madison. No sooner was Pepper out of the car than another car screeched to a stop beside us. The driver was in a panic. Frantically, she said her friend was having a seizure, and did I have any idea where she could get help.

Getting that answer today, for that matter summoning help, is as simple as picking up your cell phone. Back then, I didn’t know where to turn. I had never taken the Madison exit and couldn’t even suggest which way to head for help.

Then, it happened.

“John,” I heard over the confusion of the dog barking and the frantic woman looking for help, “what are you doing here?”

I looked up to see Claire Flaherty, who with her husband Bob was on the way to visit her family. They must have been two minutes behind us on 95. Claire knows Madison – she grew up in the area – and pointed the distressed woman in the direction of the fire station just around the corner.

We got Pepper back in the car and went on our way – just like that’s the way things are meant to happen.

Since then, I’ve noticed how interconnected Rhode Islanders are. Whether you’re in state or halfway across the world, when Rhode Islanders meet, if they don’t already know each other, they are certain to have a mutual acquaintance.

That’s what I found so interesting about the story Bruce Fairbanks recounted Friday night at the Trudeau Center’s 50th anniversary celebration. Actually, it was Joe Walsh’s observation about interconnectedness during his remarks as an inductee to the Trudeau Hall of Fame that put us on the topic.

Bruce’s story was about how he and his wife, Gloria, became such close friends with Don and Bobbi Trudeau. While they live in the same neighborhood, they went to different schools, and neither Gloria and Bobbi nor Bruce and Don knew one another.

That changed when it came to their weddings. Both couples were married on the same day – about an hour apart – and at the same church, St. Rose of Lima.

The Fairbanks’ wedding came first.

Bobbi called Gloria to see what she had planned for floral arrangements.

That was only the beginning. To their surprise, they learned they were both going to Bermuda for their honeymoon, and even more remarkably, both couples were staying at the Elbow Beach Club.

The Trudeaus arrived first. They agreed to meet.

“We met for dinner that night and we just hit it off,” said Bruce.

It was the beginning of a friendship that has spanned decades. Both couples bought homes in Warwick. Their kids grew up together, going to some of the same schools, and the families have taken numerous vacations together, including a drive down to Melbourne, Fla., where they followed one another, staying in contact by CB radios.

Now that the Trudeaus have moved out of state, the two families continue to remain close … and it all started because two couples chose to have their wedding on the same day and at the same church.

Only in Rhode Island.