Stark differences

Close family friends, even family members, are fascinated when they see Sean and me.

I always get comments from friends back home of how, while strolling around the mall, they spot a man who looks just like me, rush to say hello, and realize it's my kid brother, after all. It's also not unusual to hear people ask us, "Are you twins?"

While we may share a similar face, we have starkly different temperaments. Consider our tastes in movies, for example. Last summer, he took me to watch Hop, a movie animation about Easter bunnies. I found it senseless, but he really, truly enjoyed it, for some reason I cannot fathom.

Sean hardly cares about font typefaces, while I've spent my life rallying against Calibri and Comic Sans. He's extremely athletic, while I'm apathetic to any form of physical activity. He doesn't like reading. He tells me, "Your books—they're all words, no pictures." And he's the drummer in a rock band—how much more different can we get?

During our eldest brother's thanksgiving party, I had to volunteer to host the entire program, just so I could convince him to speak in front. He doesn't like speaking on-stage. He detests speaking in English, especially in public. "I'll be speaking the entire time, while you're only going to read Manong's message for a couple of minutes," I said. Finally he was convinced. I downloaded and printed his speech for him. He was very eloquent, by the way.

During the summer break, Sean and I talked about a lot of things. Like grown-ups. Those moments were among the highlights of my stay at home. I'm writing this now because I'm still fascinated at how we've changed and matured through time. You see, when we were kids, I could hardly stand him; even his swallowing irritated me.

And so we talked, usually after lunch, while our parents took their siesta. He shared his experiences in school. He told me about his friends, how he often encourages them when they're finding life too tough, the beaches they go to, they places where they eat. He shared the things he is praying for. He told me his dreams and plans, and while listening to him, I realized one thing: Sean has turned out to be a better man than I am.



I pray, on his 21st birthday, that he would constantly turn to God for everything—and live for Him. Happy birthday, Sean!

Love,
Manong Lance