She's my best friend. He's my brother. You can't imagine all the dreams, heart and love that went into this day.
Sianna fell in love with my brother at eleven years old. We were playing at the park and Matthew sweetly came up behind her to push her on the swings.
She promptly jumped off.
Heaven knows no one could know she liked him. And letting him push her on the swing? Clear give-away.
Nearly a decade later Matthew had joined the military and the two were living on the opposite sides of the country. He and this really pretty girl [aka Sianna] talked online sometimes, and what had been his little sister's friend turned into something much more. Facebook messages turned into phone calls. Which turned into a "not a date" coffee run when he was home. Which turned into a young man who was smitten. He could hardly help that. A beautiful, smart, witty girl who adored him and had both feet on the ground... with a heart wrapped up in her Savior and sparkling eyes... falling in love was the easy part.
But from what felt like being a world away... would the distance be manageable? Could they negotiate those cold waters of months apart unscathed?
Back at home one summer afternoon he asked her to go for a walk. They talked and talked... and took the plunge.
After all this time, a decade of hoping, a princess's dreams were coming true. And a hero's world took on a whole new meaning as they discovered life anew, together.
It was not easy. FaceTime became their best friend, but it cannot replace being together. They had to laugh together from afar, comfort each other over the phone best they could when life got hard. And it did get hard. Tragedy and death and hard work are a part of life, and the arms to hold and comfort you are more than just mere miles away.
But joy and hope and beauty are stronger.
Where there is fear it is crushed by trust. Where there is sorrow, hope is our beacon. And where there is distance and loneliness, we endure the night. But when the morning comes - and the sun is rising, my friends - beauty bursts over the skyline and that sunrise was worth waiting to see.
I hopped on a plane and spent seven hours with my best friend speaking in only a British accent. After a while it became natural. The flight attendants for sure didn't buy it. But it was a way to pass the time. The moment we landed Sianna was like a little kid, bouncing on her toes with wide eyes, scanning every face as we made our way to the luggage carousal, looking for the one face she desperately wanted to see. Had crossed the country for the first time to see. It was the middle of the night in Baltimore, 1am with a two hour drive yet to go.
As we waited for our bags she asked me for the third time, "Do you think we could go find him and come back for our bags?"
A piece of me was about to tell her I'd wait and get the bags, that she could run ahead to find him. Her man. Whom she'd waited months to see. Simultaneously, in that same two minute span of my thinking this, a police car suddenly lit up the room from just outside and took off. Moments later a security woman started screaming, "Who's bag is this?!" because of an empty backpack in the middle of the lobby.
"Nope. I'm sorry, we'll just have to wait."
It was taking forever. I stared intently at the black flap-opening, waiting for the belt to start moving.
Then I heard a squeal of pure delight.
I smile, my back to them as I hear Matthew's deep chuckle. I spin around to see him lifting her off her feet and twirling her in a circle.
I've never seen her so happy.
I will not talk about the next time we set foot in that airport. Goodbye's are much too hard sometimes. There will always be a goodbye. But if we learn the grace of waiting for the next hello we can endure.
But for these two, someday soon there will be no more need for goodbye. Someday soon her home will be with him. After all the adventures we've been on together, from when I tried to set them up on our outing to Portland's Powell's Books at sixteen to our wanderings of New England in our twenties, the greatest adventures are ever yet to come. And how exciting is that?
So here we are, June 18th of 2020. A horizon of change in front of each of us. Between their university graduations, moving, jobs and a pandemic it has been a roller coaster these past few weeks. Graduations sort of happened. Events we looked forward to sort of happened. Church sort of happened, hanging out with friends sort of happened. Nothing felt complete, after all this hard work came to a climax, we are all still holding our breath in a season of "sort of happened".
But I'm pleased to announce this fairy tale is more than just a "sort of happened" story. Finally we have been given a full breath of fresh air, a dose of reward for all the energy poured into what we call relationship. I had the privileged of standing back as my brother bent to one knee and proposed to the love of his life. I cried as I snapped pictures of their embrace, the kiss, the sweet way he ran his hand through her hair as they danced in front of the pooling fountain (a reenactment of one of their first dates at the Christmas Lights, dancing in the moonlight by this very same fountain).
She wiped the tear from her eye. Her breath caught just staring as he slipped that blessed ring on her left hand. It's forever home. Claimed and marked, loved and cherished, wanted and fighting right along side him in the adventure ahead. Rooted in their faith because He [Jehovah] loved and cherished first, claimed and marked by Jesus' Blood. That is the Rock on which they stand and it is with that firm Foundation they will build their lives together. This is no "sort of happened". This was a "swept-off-her-feet [literally]-and-pulled-into-the-adventure-of-a-lifetime-in-breathless-wonder-getting-married" sort of happily ever after.
Dear little girl, dreams do come true. You are beautiful and strong.
Young man, there is a warrior inside you. And he has what it takes.
Matt and Sianna, long may your days be; full of joy and laughter. May your fields bare fruit and flowers, wherever you go may your home be a wholesome shelter and refuge. May your conflicts be few but beneficial, may your generosity come back to bless you. May your relationship with God grow ever forward, ever deeper, ever stronger. May you lead each other ever to the Lord, and your family as well. May your love run deep, your joy overflow to the heights and your peace transcend all else. May you find contentment in all your days whatever the day may bring. Whether cloudy or sunny may you bless the Lord for the life you share. And may you be ever looking to the horizon, the Light of day, while breathing in the air of today and reaping from yesterdays lessons. Be gentle with yourselves and others as you go, and remember you are so loved.
Love, Sarah
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