Love.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

Words cannot even begin to express the incredible whirlwind of a weekend I have just experienced. My go-to phrase to sum it up? God-rocking awesomeness.

Imagine jumping on a dolphin and holding on so tight as you go on the ride of your life. Every time you break through the surface of the water, you take a half gasp, half scream of pure joy and excitement before diving back underneath. That is the closest analogy I can come up with for the past 72 hours.

The facts:
1) I met my older half-sister for the first time in my life. She is six years older than me and from New York.
2) The two of us cooked up one of the biggest surprises I have ever been a part of as we coordinated in a two-day time span how we could surprise my visiting birthmom and her family with an appearance. (The first time they had gotten together in five years.)
3) My birthmom and her family were visiting my aunt and uncle outside of Boston and had plans to come and see me.
4) I met Debbie for the first time when I had to run off "to go to the restroom" while we were at the aquarium. We proceeded to actually use the restroom (so we didn't lie!) and made our up to the top of the aquarium where we nonchalantly leaned against the back railing while the family looked in the fish tank. The next few minutes had my legs shaking and both of us grinning from ear to ear as slowly the light dawned and they realized we had pulled a great fast one on them all.
5) We spent time all together, took pictures, visited, talked, and had some of the most amazing God-centered and inspired conversations. We hugged, grew, learned, listened, and healed...

Absolutely incredible. This is the last excerpt from the story I wrote last night while I tried to reflect and take it all in:

I mentioned earlier how David was such a man of paradoxes and ironies. And Lord, it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time as I write this, but yet again it is true. A song written by Steven Curtis Chapman puts it best, “Out of these ashes, beauty will rise / And we will dance among the ruins / We will see him with our own eyes / Out of these ashes, beauty will rise / For we know joy is coming in the morning…” Out of the ashes of my brother’s death…this beauty has come from it. The healing and restoration and growth that will come from these relationships…we have only begun to explore the fringes of what is to come. But we know with hope and with faith, we have quite the ride ahead of us. And what Satan would use for evil, God will use for good. Out of what represents so much pain and grief and anger, God will use to bring forth light and joy. Above all else, as I walked away from Debbie’s car, I felt this overwhelming flood of love. Faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love. May this story bless you, may we continue to grow and be challenged, and may you be encouraged that someway…beauty will rise.

Absolutely, breathtakingly amazing. I don't have the words. But I hope I in at least some small way convey the joy I have in seeing how God continues to work in all of our lives.

Let's ride. And baby, we better hold fast.

O&O,

M