captainsblog | Dec. 23rd, 2009

I haven't known all that many sets of twins in my day. The earliest pair stands out, not so much for their twinness but because one of them was also the first person I ever knew outside my family who was also named Raymond. (To keep the confusion down, Ray wasn't in many of my classes; his brother Mike was. One had a birthmark on his nose, and that's how I remembered who was who.) In college, the only two I was aware of consisted of a hulking pair from somewhere else in our freshman pit of a dorm area, who could empty a buffet table in the dining hall just between the two of them. They'd been recruited for the football team and were generally known as the Refrigerator Twins; this was years before Da Bears visited a similar nickname on one of their major appliances, so at least we were original in our awe. Law school included Myra and Marilyn, although they might have been cousins. More recently, Emily's had schoolfriends from around two different local corners, and I've had a couple of half-doublehandfuls of them as clients over the years.

These days, though, "Twin" only invokes one pair in my mind. Partly out of word association (for that is each's inevitable one-word tag for the other), partly out of familiarity (for both post here on a near-daily basis), but mainly out of awesomeness. Yesterday's post introduced the one I've met a few times in person, but if not for her sister's own words, I might not have been blessed with both of their friendships.

Today's Twin (I never did learn who's the few nanos older) has lived in Sweden for all the time I've known them both. Though her path has been the same as Sara's at times, way different at others, and timed differently in still more, they both share many of the things that hold all of you dear to my heart. Love of the word, and the ability to use it well. Appreciation of music, and a range of it. Caring for family- the ones they've made, each getting married in the past few years, as well as the one they came from. Especially, though, the gift of being able to bring Gentle Readers like me into their worlds and laugh with them, occasionally cry with them, but always share with them the things that make their days and lives important.

Erin has done that with tales ranging from a wayward laundry cart to a bittersweet bus trip. Any sight of a rubber ducky on my page makes me smile even before starting to read. I'm privileged to have shared some important slices of her life, as well, even from so much further afar.

Happy birthday,