IDENTITY CRISIS x 2

     My sister, Jo, and I apparently look quite a bit alike.  Neither of us agree but others seem to think so.  Often I have called Jo to tell her that I am having an identity crisis.  The usual mistaken identity experience goes something like this:  someone approaches me and starts to talk.  I smile and listen.  It doesn't take long to realize that they think I am my sister.  They are talking about things I have no knowledge of like her business or baseball or Kiwanis.  Then I quickly decide whether to say, "Oh, you must think I'm my sister," or to just go along with what they are saying and try to respond appropriately. 
     The thing is I am much taller than my sister.  People never stop her in WalMart and ask her to reach something on the top shelf for them.  She has nice teeth, perfect sized feet, a nice figure, etc.  The only thing we have in common is dark hair.  And perhaps a bit of genetics.... But she takes after our father's side of the family and I have been told that I look very much like my mother's Grandmother Erickson.  So how could anyone think we look a like?
     When we got to SLC and began to meet our neighbors and other missionaries we heard people saying often, "You look just like Sister Peterson."  It happened over and over.  A couple of ladies even called me Sister Peterson.  One day while we were stopped on the sidewalk chatting with some new friends, one of the young missionaries that serves here came running up with an excited look on his face.  When he got close enough to say something his expression changed; he looked a bit confused.  And then the confusion changed to disappointment and embarrassment.  I felt like an impostor and so sorry to have unintentionally deceived him. 
     Another day a woman walked up to me at a mission meeting and said, "I see you made it back!"  I didn't have any idea what she was talking about....back?  from where?  I told her I was taking it one day at a time, thinking she was a trainer and wondered if it was too much for me and she thought I wouldn't return.  Later I thought about it again and realized she must have thought I was Sister Peterson, too.
     Sister Peterson and her husband were serving in our mission some time before we got here.  Their daughter began having problems with her pregnancy and needed someone to help with her other children so Sister Peterson took a leave of absence.  Her husband continues to be our mission photographer and is seen around the campus when new missionaries arrive.  I ran into him in a hallway one day and asked about his wife....and told him that there had been a bit of confusion regarding our looking somewhat alike.  He smiled and said, yes, there were some similarities, but no, we didn't look so much alike to him.
     Now when someone says I look just like Sister Peterson I tell them that her husband doesn't think so....  One woman agreed that he knew best and she guessed I didn't really look like her.  She turned to leave and then turned back and said, "What do men know?  You DO look like her!"
     So for the time being, I have MPD (multiple personality disorder) and I am looking forward to meeting Sister Peterson soon.  I wonder if she looks anything like my sister, Jo?!