June, 2013

I could (and should) write more about the beautiful examples of Annika’s daily demonstrations of empathy and consideration; but this is one example that must be noted.

Father’s Day weekend in 2013, and Mama has gone to Germany for her High School reunion, leaving Papa and the girls to enjoy some quality time. Sunday afternoon, with only a few hours left before Mama was to return, I playfully mentioned to the girls how this reunion would play out. All three girls would see their Mama and begin the race, with Annika getting there first. A twin (a kept in generic, although I was thinking Niki) would reach Mama second and push Annika out of the way. The other twin (obviously here I’m thinking Britta) would collapse in tears before reaching Mama. My point to the girls: let’s all be happy Mama is home, let’s not fight over her or get mad, and let’s make the reunion a positive event.

Flash forward those few hours and we are walking to the Train Station to meet Mama. We are at the bottom of the tunnel, and suddenly we see Mama at the top, walking towards us. All three girls bolt. And Annika is in first, by a wide margin. ~20 feet before reaching Andrea, Annika stops; she turns around; and she lets Niki and Britta pass her.

It was beautiful and heart wrenching at the same time. It was the essence of sacrifice.