[Today is called “Gaudete Sunday” - “Gaudete” being the Latin word for “Rejoice.” So I was trying to come up with a story that brings out the theme we heard in the readings for today: to be joyful - filled with joy. I wrote the following story last night - with the hope that it will bring out the idea that we are called to be joyful people. So once more the title of my story for today is: “Twin Sisters.”]
Once upon a time there were two sisters: Winifred and Mildred. They were named after their grandmothers on each side - who were named after their grandmothers on each side. So those very interesting old fashioned first names, Mildred and Winifred, go way, way back.
And it was just these 2. They didn’t have any brothers and sisters.
It was just the twins - and mom and dad.
Winifred was the oldest - being born 15 minutes earlier than her twin sister Mildred - and from then on they were thought of as the youngest and the oldest.
And once you got to know Winifred and Mildred - you too might say - what a lot of different people said, “They can’t be sisters. They can’t be twins. They are so, so, so, so different from each other.”
But they were twins - identical twins - born just 15 minutes apart.
Winifred always - ever since she was a baby - had a great smile - almost from the beginning of her life.
Mildred - on the other hand - never smiled. In fact, she frowned. She always seemed down. She always seemed to pout - always ready to shout, “It’s not fair!”
Being the youngest - if just by 15 minutes - is that why Mildred ended up being sort of sour - about everything?
I don’t know. All I know is that they were different kids.
Mom and dad couldn’t figure it out. Sure people are different, but why their two daughters were so different - now that was a mystery. Maybe there was a mistake at the hospital. Nope. Impossible. They were identical twins. See one and you saw the other. Yet, once you watched their faces and watched them in action - you could tell, one was different from the other.
Mom and dad said that Winifred was obviously the optimist - while Mildred was obviously the pessimist.
As little kids they didn’t understand just what those two words - optimist and pessimist - meant. But even if you didn’t know the meaning of these two words, everyone knew Winifred was the optimist and Mildred was the pessimist - sad and glad.
And sometimes kids can be cruel. Winifred - one kid started comparing her to her sister - called her "Wonderful" - and then called her sister, Mildred, "Dreaderful".
Some kids shortened their names to Wondy and Dredy.
Their parents felt this just made things worse. They tried to console Mildred. In the meanwhile, Mildred became even more sour - when kids put her down or when other kids made fun of her. Winifred tried to cheer her sister up. She too failed time after time.
Mom and dad often talked about personalities - because these two daughters of theirs had such different personalities.
When Mildred walked into a room - she brought along with her a dark cloud - like a pet dog. When Winifred walked into a room - she only brought sunshine - which filled the room.
Nothing was ever right according to Mildred. Her constant whine was that mom and dad liked her older sister better. It was the same with teachers - both being in the same class all through elementary school. Mildred claimed that teachers picked on her. She would say every year her teachers would say she never did anything right. She would say that Winifred was getting away with murder.
However, there’s hope. There’s always hope. People can change.
It happened in the 6th grade. From what I heard later on, the change happened this way. But who knows? Who really knows how people change?
Another set of twins - both girls as well - both identical twins - Rachel and Rebecca - came into their school - and into their class.
And Mildred got mad and thought it wasn't fair because nobody could figure out which twin was which - but could always tell she was Mildred.
This reality planted a seed in Mildred’s head - which like most seeds - took a while to grow.
This new set of twins in their class loved to play the game, “Which one really was Rachel and which one was really Rebecca?”
Well, one night Mildred told her sister, before they got to sleep, “Why don’t we play that game as well - to see if we can have people guessing which of us is which of us?
“What do you mean,” said Winifred.
“Well,” said Mildred, “Tomorrow you look sad and I’ll look happy.”
And Mildred then jumped up - got out of her bed - and turned the light on and showed her sister Winifred what she meant. It was difficult at first, because Mildred wasn’t used to using the happy face muscles on her face. And Winifred had difficultly using sad face muscles.
Then Winifred got out of her bed and both went over to the big mirror they had on their bureau. And as they practiced using their different face muscles both started to laugh.
Mom and dad thought they heard laughter coming from their daughters’ room - but dismissed it - because they never heard laughter coming from their girls bedroom before.
Mildred and Winifred kept practicing and practicing and practicing - and laughing and laughing and laughing.
The next day they put on their performance. Mildred came in all smiles. Winifred came in all sadness.
At the first bathroom break that school day morning, Mildred came running over to her sister - all smiles - in the back of their classroom, “It's difficult, but it works. It works.”
Winifred almost let out a smile - but Mildred went, “Shush no!” And they hugged each other. Good thing nobody noticed that - because the game was on.
It worked, better and better each day.
They became better than Rachel and Rebecca, because someone pointed out that Rebecca had a brown freckle or brown something on the thumb of her left hand while Rachel didn't.
So every day - in the morning - they would flip a coin - to see who was whom that day.
Surprise in time - nobody could tell who was whom - really - not even their parents - except Mildred and Winifred.
Surprise - both became so joyful - Winifred even more - Mildred growing and growing in joy - and that laughter poured out of their bedroom every night - and their parents got used to seeing both their daughters filled with joy.
Their dad said, “Women. I don’t understand women.”
Their mom said, “That’s why you married me and God gave us daughters!”
And both laughed and laughed and their daughters heard laughter coming from their parent’s room.
