What does the phrase “A really calm, sane jewel” have in common with “Jam really clean weasel”?
Since I know you’ve been lying awake nights, pondering this question, here’s the answer:
Both expressions consist of letters that rearrange to spell “Janelle Wallace Ramsey”.
Janelle is my adopted twin. Today (June 3) is her birthday. Happy Birthday, sis!
Before anyone protests that there’s no such thing as an adopted twin, let me say this about that:
Yes, there is!
Here’s how it works: Several decades ago, Janelle and I decided to be siblings. Or maybe we just realized we always had been siblings, even before we met, more than half our lifetimes ago. Whatever.
The result was a mutual sister-brother pact. I think of it as a do-it-yourself adoption. If either of us had living parents, I’d be scheming to have one of us adopted by the other’s, thereby legalizing our sibling status.
That didn’t happen, but no matter: Janelle is as truly family as any blood relative, and as great a sister as any guy ever was lucky enough to have. She’s someone I look up to, confide in, feel protective of, cheer onward, and stand up for.
A String of “Coincidences”?
One curious aspect of our respective lives: They’re riddled with uncanny parallels — what some folks might call “coincidences”. A list I once made of these filled nearly a whole page. Among them:
- I grew up in Franklin County, Tennessee. When I met Janelle, she lived in Franklin, North Carolina. The Franklin County community that was my home is named Anderson. Later, Janelle and her husband, Hank, settled in Anderson, South Carolina (where they lived till moving recently to Orange, Texas).
- When my wife, Cheri, and I returned from our Peace Corps stint, we settled in a stone house Cheri named Stonehaven. (And we later, as a result, named our publishing company Stonehaven Press.) We didn’t learn till years later that the South Carolina subdivision where Janelle and Hank were living is called (drumroll!) — Stonehaven!
- Still more uncanny: I’m crazy about “Grooks” — the poetry and drawings of a deceased Danish physicist named Piet Hein. So is Hank! What are the odds?
As I said, there are lots more. Utterly inexplicable. Just the universe’s way, I suppose, of ratifying our self-chosen siblinghood.
Janelle is a professional librarian (now retired). She also has worked as an elementary school teacher and a mental health professional. She has a mule named Amos; in mule years he’s older than Melchizedek.
Several years ago, Janelle gave a talk in Knoxville when she was staying with Cheri and me. An unusually large number of our friends came out to hear her. (I guess folks were curious.) Her presentation so captivated her audience that a good number hung around afterward, peppering her with questions, refusing even to visit the dessert table!
Below is a gallery of photos. Click any picture to view them in a cool carousel. Then please feel free to click the “Leave a Comment” box. Do you have self-chosen or self-adopted family? Share your story!
Happy Birthday Janelle