Easter Sunday, Paul, Christina, Ruth, and Marie joined us for dinner. At one point, Christina was holding Ruth who was looking at our only full family photo on the fridge. She pointed out Uncle Joseph, Auntie Johanna, Catherine, etc. and then pointed to Bernadette and said, “And Zoe!” When she pointed to Zoe’s actual five month picture, I’m not sure if she said, ‘me’ or ‘Marie’. But the fact that she thought Bernadette was Zoe is just another confirmation that Zoe looks a lot like Bernadette.
What I’d like to know is how can two children from the same family be such polar opposites? It’s a question we’ve been asking for many years. To Marc and I none of our kids were even close to being like each other that it always astounded us that we could raise such completely different individuals. We use to say that Paul wasn’t really a training ground for Joseph. Neither Joseph or Paul prepared us for Johanna. Though Johanna stretched us a lot, we were still woefully unprepared for Catherine. Bernadette was so painfully shy we had no experience in that department either. Then came Zoe – the two-year-old on the roof. Need I say more? You’d think with the combined experience of five other children we’d have been somewhat prepared to handle Zoe. Ha! I think Zoe is living proof that God does play jokes on us parents once in a while.
Last February I wrote about our first ‘negative first’ when we had our yearly eye appointments for the girls and it was the first one where we didn’t have to struggle with Bernadette because she hated those appointments so much and wouldn’t cooperate with anyone: technicians or doctor.
On Tuesday the girls had eye appointments and it was Zoe’s first appointment now that she’s three – again trying to catch a lazy eye early on if she had one. What was absolutely hilarious was that all those tests that Bernadette fought, Zoe was right in there like a dirty shoe. She was so eager to do everything Catherine was doing that the technicians had to hold her back because they weren’t ready for her. Then in Dr. Allaway’s little examining room, Dr. Allaway couldn’t get in there fast enough. He couldn’t get through Catherine’s eye exam fast enough. Zoe couldn’t get up in the big chair fast enough; whereas I had to sit and hold Bernadette on my lap. In fact I don’t think Bernadette ever sat in that chair on her own and yet Zoe scrambled into it the second Catherine was out of it and sat there the entire time waving at us with an ear-to-ear grin on her face. She totally cooperated with everything Dr. Allaway asked her to do without hesitation. It was so much fun to watch that Catherine and I spent the entire time laughing. On the way out, Dr. Allaway handed Zoe the two charts and asked her if she could bring them to the front for him. She took them and said, “Yes, I can take them to the front for you.” and off she ran. It really was the most pleasant trip to Dr. Allaway’s office that I’ve ever had! Seriously, how can two little girls be so different?
Not that I mean to constantly compare Bernadette and Zoe, but sometimes it’s hard not to, given how much they look alike. On the other hand I’m extremely thankful they’re so different. It’s hard enough looking at Zoe and catching glimpses of Bernadette; it would be brutal if her mannerisms, temperament, character, preferences, etc. were as similar as their looks. It’s a good thing, a very good thing that they’re so different.
Journey With Jesus Children's Book 