And the internet provides such a feast of so many fascinating things and is so endlessly distracting. A couple days ago I was up at midnight reading about the Tudors, who I've now read several books about and still can't get enough of... and then last night somehow (well, while looking for a video about using cell phones to collect data on YouTube, a totally legit work reason)... I stumbled onto a video of the Hensel twins.
I can't believe I never heard that there were conjoined twins sharing a body living in Minnesota. I am totally fascinated by them. I had long detailed dreams about them last night. (I have nightly long detailed dreams about something-- comes with a medication I am on.) Today I couldn't stop talking to J about them. You should really watch the video, because they are really fun to watch. I can't deny that I still have a kind of shocked visceral reaction every time I see them-- but once you watch them for a minute or two you kind of forget the oddity and just see two teenage girls who enjoy life.
They seem to have had a very normal existence in a small town where people knew them and treated them just like anyone else. This year they started at a Baptist college, and one of the most heart-warming things I read while trolling the internet for info on them was an account on some blog of seeing them tumble out of a mini-van with a bunch of friends, laughing and chatting like any college kids do. They are cute. They are spunky. They seem to be incredibly well-adjusted considering their particular challenges in life. They drive a normal car, ride bikes, play volleyball, and (get this) type emails even though they both just control half of their body (one arm and one leg each). It is all just kind of amazing.
I am sure that they have had more than their fair share of meanness and hurt in their lives, but honestly, I picture them rolling their eyes at someone's shocked expression and saying, "Yeah, we share a body, get over it." They just seem really happy to be them. One of the very sad things I stumbled upon in reading about these gals is an account of a couple in the UK who is currently pregnant with twins who are conjoined just like Abby and Brittany-- and has decided based on their Catholic faith (and it seems inspired by Abby and Brittany) to not abort. It's shocking to me how all kinds of people (including doctors) are spouting off that they should abort, that it's cruel to bring twins like that into the world, that (in the words of one moron) they will just be a "freak show."
J and I have been discussing all kinds of interesting questions, from how it must have been hard for their mom to figure out who to discipline when they misbehaved as a child... to how it must be an incredible test of selflessness to have to make all decisions in life together, from when to go to bed to what profession to pursue... to what we would say if we were a pastor counseling them about marriage. I still feel like I can't quite wrap my mind around it, other than to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made and called by God to a very special purpose (as J says, if nothing else, just being an inspiration!) I hope they have long and happy lives.
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