An Uncommon Love

I would like to introduce you to Braden Aaron Brown and Abigail Elizabeth Wadley. 

Braden + Abby

Two extraordinary people.  The type of people that would wince at my suggesting that word....(which already says loads about them)......The type of people that thrive in absolute zero attention space. The type of people that somehow manage to distance themselves from the accolades that seem to shower around them consistently.  What is most uncommon is that they both never let themselves truly "inhale" the compliments.......Rather, they say thank you.....smile--because they are smart enough to know that you, the giver, needs to feel good for giving the compliment, and then they "snap back to grid" to that place where superlatives do not exist.  In essence, they are quietly gracious.......Uncommon?   I would say yes.

They have known each other since they were in grade school.  They became friends in 7th grade.  Braden, painfully shy, someone who would do almost anything to keep any attention or notice directed his way, showed up in a way that caught this young girl's attention.   His gift was that he knew who he was at a very young age.  He found his footing early and has never veered since.  He was a young man that had decided early in life, that he was going to "go about and do good" (Acts 10:38) in every interaction, in every relationship, in every thought and deed.  It is no small thing to remember who this scripture referred to and the profound parallels it has to Braden.   While we witnessed Braden's behavior and interactions with our own eyes, we didn't have the advantage of seeing Abby growing up but, we have had strong inklings she followed a similar code of life by the way Braden felt drawn to her.  I wouldn't be surprised a bit if her parents saw similar motivations and patterns in their home.....

Uncommon?  I would have to say yes. 

Most young people struggle to navigate the awkwardness of early "teenageship",  Braden seamlessly glided through those messy crags and crevices with an amazing amount of ease and solidity. I am sure he might describe it differently, but it was clear to us that somehow his roots went deeper, and when the wind blew, he was steadfast.....never allowing the tempestuous winds of junior high temptations that blew his way to alter his focus, or his path.  It didn't matter what the world threw at him to try and knock him off his feet, it never worked.....I am sure it was frustrating to those that tried.  What was especially cool was that no one really wanted to.... He managed to be totally integrated with academics, sports, music, friends and yet was able to fly adeptly under the mainstream radar exquisitely with the sophistication of a trained fighter pilot. An unusual talent for high schooler..... Uncommon?  I would say yes.

 And there is this Abby person.... Wow!  You would love her!  You would probably only need about 5 minutes to find out too.  A smile that would melt an iceberg, a differentiated disposition honed her entire life to be loving, kind, and generous.... the kind of generosity that flows freely.  When she pays attention, she really does.....no fake smiles or laughs.  She is so smart, intellectual, precise in her calculations--whatever they may be (lots of spreadsheets!!) and perfectly balanced with her constant beautiful smile and wonderful sense of humor.  She has super high emotional intelligence -- she is able to adeptly walk into a situation, observe the room, the situation, the people, and react just right.  Mostly it works because she wears a  countenance that puts you at ease........ immediately.

Uncommon....To me, yes.

You see Abby, equally extraordinary, was observing from afar.... she wasn't looking for the typical Junior High School boys most girls would.... it wasn't the sports, the clothes, the neighborhood or the car (The car was cool however..!) .....No, she had a different gaze.... it was deeper and went under the surface of stuff.  It took more time, more consideration, more precision, but she saw something that was not obvious to almost everyone else.  She saw Braden's heart early on.  She watched him act quietly.  He didn't say much, but his actions, how he interacted with others, and how he carried himself was loud and clear.  She zero'd in on a different target.......and set things in motion that forever change both their trajectories....... and Braden didn't seem to complain too much! 

It happened quietly, without commotion, and very little noise......This thing....this uncommon love.  How two 7th graders could be so stealthy--so wise, so young?  I don't know.....Did they see this coming way back then?  The idea that maybe there was this very tiny seed of an idea... that germinated into a possibility of something more is irresistible.....and very cool.   I would like to believe that maybe these little post it notes of possibilities would come to them, maybe while eating lunch on the sidewalk at school each day, or thinking of each other during class......that this precious thing they were growing, could eventually lead to something as incredible as the eternal union they will be forming today.  

I love the way they found each other, grew together and found love.  While this may not sound that different than other love stories, The way they did it was uniquely theirs....special,  intimate, powerful and uncommon.  

What they will do next will be no less impressive.  They have framed a perfect  and precise blueprint of how they want to live their lives.  I think about the vise grips pliers I have in my toolbox.  The kind that once locked on--don't come off......That is what these two have done.  They have locked their "vise grips" tight around how they want to live leaving no question in anyone's mind about what will result.....They will go about doing good for the rest of their lives.

Talk about an intentional life! 

So, with the help of a little tune we like to sing at home, we send you off into your heart shaped sea.

"All I needed was the love you gave

All I needed for another day

And all I ever knew

Only you...."

A Room with a View...

I spent a good deal of time on my roof the past week reshingling...because the pitch is so steep I often had to pause and rest. During these mini-breaks I found myself canvassing the entire neighborhood from a totally different vantage point. I loved the "birdseye" view but the enhanced perspective even more... I could track many people and things going on at the same time, as the circle of my peripheral vision was much wider....

.....then my thoughts would take me back to my younger years in Indonesia where me and my siblings would spend all kinds of time on our roof. It was so large and unique with lots of nooks and crannies for hiding. A favorite game was Hide n Seek. My bro Roland was particularly good at this...he would dissappear on the top of a roof of all places and we literally wouldn't be able to find him. It was great fun and often I would find myself up there just to think and be alone. I loved the perspective of being hidden but up in the sky....... it was different than being in a closet or under a bed. It was a place that would elicit dreams and fantastical thinking....

So....my mini-breaks sometimes turned into major nostalgic moments... I decided then and there that the next time my wife was gone I would take my 3 youngest kids up on the roof and share with them my foreign rooftop stories! Plus I knew they would love going up there. The first time up they were giddy with fear and excitement together. They loved it! I would tell them how to walk appropriately, what to avoid and where they could "hang out" without anyone seeing them, underneath the shade of some large leafy overhangs. I would tell them my stories of hide and seek, and other adventures. The other reason they loved it is becaue their older brother doesn't know it yet! Ha! He will be so ......shocked! So I totally loved the idea of passing the baton to them, now they can have their own rooftop adventures in their own way....(and hopefully not die!)

POSTLUDE:..... God...... must have the ultimate "rooftop" view and perspective. He can see all, all at once. He is 'hidden' only in some ways, but ever watchful. He is so "high" and yet can "zoom" in on any one event or person at will.... I normally don't like the feeling of someone looking over my shoulder or the notion of being spied upon...but yet in this context.....I like it....alot!. I felt a bit of that just being 30 feet higher myself. He, being a 'bazillion' feet higher can only mean He needs to be so He can keep his circle of peripheral vision perfectly sized to see all of us.....