Although I’ve personally known only a handful of twins, I’m currently getting an up-close look at twin grandbabies. The fact that Evelyn and Thomas arrived together, when unexpected, seems a bonus of immense proportions. Katy is often asked if twins run in her family, and she can’t give a definitive answer. It’s possible Katy did have a twin who was lost in early pregnancy, and she has had the unexplainable feeling she was half of a twin couple. In that case, the answer should be “yes”.

Evelyn and Thomas are, at only one month, already beginning to evidence personal likes and dislikes. For example, Evelyn likes to be warm; Thomas is a hot-body. Evelyn is a slow, steady eater; Thomas prefers short, frequent meals. Evelyn cries in a “snuffle”; Thomas cries with a wail. Evelyn is a night owl; Thomas is a morning lark.

They do have one fascinating thing in common, though. They genuinely like each other. If they’re crying simultaneously, placing them together stops one or both of them. It’s as if one is comforted by the close proximity of the other. They remind me of the magnetic Scottie dogs we had as children. As we moved the white dog toward the black one, suddenly they’d rush together and hold tight.

This afternoon Katy was enjoying a little cooking time while I was on twin duty. Both were fussy, so I pulled these still-floppy babies into my lap as best I could. Sure enough, the minute they touched each other, they turned their heads together and began sniffing in each other’s direction like inquisitive puppies. They tried to suck on each other’s heads and quieted down immediately, breathing each other’s air. Katy says she’s found one of them sucking on the other’s nose on several occasions, with both the sucker and suckee lost in contentment.

Might there be something unusual about this preferred togetherness? They spent nine months up close and personal before they were born, the last few weeks quite squished. No doubt there was some nose-sucking going on in that environment, also. It’s possible that being born produces extra stress on multiples due to the separation imposed on them at that time. Maybe Evelyn and Thomas are longing for each other’s company in a way the rest of us can’t understand. When they come face-to-face or front-to-back it might be a mock-return to a blissful memory.

Today while handling our twins, my thoughts went to the first biblical twins, Jacob and Esau, multiples who squabbled from the get-go. They never really appreciated each other and fell into a competition that was almost deadly. I’m sure God has a different plan for twins. Their togetherness is a marvel, an unusual gift from him, and I can’t help but think he wants them to take advantage of it.

I’m anxious to see if Evelyn and Thomas remain close pals as the months and years roll by. Thomas may gravitate toward his older brother, Nicholas, both being boys. But something tells me he’ll always look out for his twin sister. Having spent nine months and four weeks in pleasant togetherness, they’ve got a healthy head start on living their lives in one accord.

“Be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves.” (Philippians 2:2-3)