Happy birthday to my younger brother and sister!

My younger brother and sister were born on April 14, @#$!, they may not appreciate my saying the year. They may not appreciate this whole post, contrary to what some thought , they never sought the spot light, it kind of sought them.

I was 5 years old when they were born. In the fall , when I started Kindergarten, I begged my mom  to bring them to my class for show and tell. she did. I think about that some times, how hard it is to get out the door with a toddler, and mom did it with two and a 4 year old, my brother Craig, in tow.

A few months ago I was reading the book "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Vershese. The main character has a twin brother. He mentions how his name and his brothers name are always spoken in tandem, as if it were one name and they one, entity. And I thought Wow, that is like Todd and Emily.

Todd and Emily OSU Graduation

Emily and Todd and Mom OSU Moms weekend.

I know mom worried about  this, the possibility that they would be an entity in their minds and the minds of their teachers and classmates. She debated asking that they be in separate classrooms but worried that one might be put with a teacher that did not demand as much of his /her students, and that would not be good.

Todd and Emily, Emily and Todd.

also known as, The Twins.

When they were younger, grade school age, I don't remember exactly, Todd went out for Punt Pass and Kick, Emily did too. Todd won first place, a shiny gold football player statue, Emily won second place a shiny silver football player...Todd and Emily, Emily and Todd.

Softball, Baseball, Gymnastics, Golf, Dance, Football, Tennis, Cheerleader. Now,Emily is a Clinical Pharmacist for the Army, and  Todd is a Computer Engineer for Nike.

Is achievement in their genes? Is it because they kept up with older siblings, climbing  trees and playing in the barn far younger than they would have on their own , is it because they had each other to measure themselves against. Not in a, anything you can do I can do better,way, more like , oh, ok, well maybe I can do this.

Is it because they had to struggle so at the begging of their life. Emily 4 lbs, Todd 5lbs. I don't know if they know that. Mom didn't want them to know, didn't ever want to treat them like they were made of glass, fragile, temporary.

Todd and Emily, Emily and Todd.

Two, totally independent half's of a whole.

Happy Birthday.