INTRODUCTION

“I am Lakhota. I am a Christian. I am a spirit being, and I pray to one God. I fly with the eagle; Michael runs with the bear. And together we pray to Wakan Tanka, Father God. For He sees us not as men, but as creatures of Himself, made in His image. I am one and the same as Michael.” —Matlin Peter DeMarco 1997

“Rhett, it would be a lie, and why should we go through all that foolishness? I’m fond of you, like I said. You know how it is. You told me once that you didn’t love me but that we had a lot in com[1]mon. Both rascals, was the way you—”

“Oh, God!” he whispered, rapidly turning his head away. “To be taken in by my own trap!”

 “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” and he looked at her and laughed—but it was not a pleasant laugh. “Name the day, my dear,” and he laughed again and bent ROBERT W. PARSONS 22 and kissed her hands. She was relieved to see his mood pass and good humor apparently return, so she smiled too.

He played with her hand for a moment and grinned up at her. “Did you ever in your novel reading come across the old situation of the disinterested wife falling in love with her own husband?”

 “You know I don’t read novels,” she said and, trying to equal his jesting mood, went on: “Besides, you once said it was the height of bad form for husbands and wives to love each other.”

“I once said too god damn many things,” he retorted abruptly, and rose to his feet.

“Don’t swear.”…

…“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!”

I was inspired to write Twin Memoirs when I learned that Margaret Mitchell’s life mirrored Scarlett’s and Gone with the Wind was her way of telling her story. Twin Memoirs will mirror the lives of Michael and myself, and this will be our story. Also, Donna, my best friend in high school, and I would do a lot of role-playing. Rhett and Scarlet were our favorite characters in our high school production of Gone with the Wind. More detail on Donna later.

I, too, went through a lot of foolishness in my life. Donna had a crush on me, and we had much in common. I have mentioned God a few times in my life, along with the word damn. I never thought I would use both of these words in the same sentence. I never did, but Michael did all the time, out of his anger and frustration toward life. I kissed Donna’s hand the night of the junior prom. She didn’t read too many novels because of her analytical mind. But I’ll be damned—I mean, you’ll be blessed with the ending of my story. After all, there will be no tomorrows for me. Good writing, Margaret Mitchell!

Memorial Day weekends have always meant so much to Michael and me. You will find out the reason as I tell you our story. It is Memorial Day, 1996, as I begin to pen this book. I am sitting alone in my office, contemplating all the events of the past few months. I can’t stop thinking about Michael. Today is an exceptionally lonely day, filled with the absence of Michael. Michael was my brother, my twin brother. From birth, we were inseparable. He died just a few months ago from AIDS; he was only fifty-five years old. My name is Matlin DeMarco.

My friends call me Dr. Matt. A twin can only feel the agony of losing a twin sibling. I was too young to remember all the events of my father’s death. Grandmother’s death was expected because of her age; she had lived a long, fulfilling life. Much of her life knowledge was passed on to Michael and me through her wisdom of the ancient ways. The loss of our mother was heart wrenching but also expected, because of her age. However, the loss of a twin is devastating, especially if one was as close as Michael and myself. Michael was still in the prime of his life. My faith in God and the love of my friends has gotten me through this loss. My newfound faith and love for God will continue to do so.

This book is part of that healing process. This book is not a religious book as you might have thought by the opening pages. This book is about the struggles we all have on our journey throughout life. It is just that some of our struggles are more challenging than others, darker. Our struggles, Michael’s and mine, were threefold. Even though our story is about a spiritual journey, it is also a story about two people, where they came from, who they were, and what they became despite those struggles. Everything I say will have meaning. There are symbolisms, allegories, and metaphors to strengthen my convictions.

Everything will be told from the heart, because that is where Michael now resides. He now lives within me, the good memories as well as the bad and challenging ones. Our memories together will never be lost. I will capture them in this book for all eternity.

This book series is a venture into the past. For me, it will be a difficult story to tell. But with the help of my close friends, I know it is doable. Tommy Crow, a dear friend, will interview some of my closest friends to complete the missing links within my story. I found Tommy’s interviews most intriguing, and without those interviews, my story would not have been complete. Everyone’s story needed to be told to round out the book’s entirety.

I begin our story with a brief history of our ancestors. I will show you the lineage of our families and how Michael and I came to be. Beginning with our great-great-grandparents, we’ll travel back in time to the old countries of France and Italy. With a pioneering spirit in their hearts and the faith to make a long, treacherous journey, both sides of our family came to America with the hopes and the dreams and the visions of a new life.

Life deals all of us challenges and struggles. We must overcome those hardships to move on in life. My family isn’t any different than yours. The hardships of my great-grandparents soon blossomed into rewarding memories as our family history unfolded. Thank God for the pioneering spirit of my ancestors and the faith they had in God.

Just as our European roots had a history, so did our Native American roots. Michael and I chose our Native American heritage over our French, Italian, and Tahitian lineage. Besides being raised in a Christian home and church and being sons of a minister and missionary, Michael and I interwove our Native American beliefs and traditions into our foundation in God. People have often asked us why there wasn’t a noticeable separation of beliefs and practices. If anyone would take the time to do a study on comparative religions, especially those of the Native American, generally speaking, and Christianity, one would begin to realize that we all believe in the same concepts, although we have different rituals and different names and different associations.

The contextual way of this book by no means syncretizes the two belief systems. I do not want to dilute the teachings of Jesus Christ or the legends and myths of the Native American people. This is my contextualization and my syncretism (an attempt to blend and reconcile) within my own belief system.

Christianity is told through the parables of Jesus Christ, and the Native American traditions are told through myths and legends. In my story, I will not support my Native American beliefs with scripture, even though scripture is used throughout the book. This book is a story, a memoir, not a reference book or textbook.