“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Kwamane and Cole decided to get matching lightning bolts carved in their hair. They did it, they said, because they are brothers and wanted to look the same. They are just kids, but they already know what it takes to be a brother to someone, and it has little to do with genetics or lawyers.
Kwamane had to go away for a year, and we had no contact. Cole cried almost every day because he missed his brother. So did Cadence and Emma. Time didn’t make it easier for them or their tears less frequent or painful. Cole hurt for a year, cried for a year, and prayed every meal and every night for God to bring his brother back. A world apart, Kwamane was praying as well.
Despite appearing as if we would never see Kwamane again, God answered those prayers, performed a miracle and brought him back. And Yes, Ana and I and our family and friends believe that God answered the prayers that Cole, Cadence and Emma, Ana and Me, and countless others prayed every day for that year.
Once they were back together, all four kids picked up right where they left off the year before and the boys are tighter now than ever. Kwamane loves and protects Cole, and Cole sticks up for Kwamane holding nothing back when sharing the admiration he has for his big brother. They sleep in the same room, play together constantly, get into mischief together, and are shoulder to shoulder doing their schooling and chores. They fight and argue then a second later you’ll hear them laughing hysterically over the things little boys find funny.
They are brothers, and now with their matching haircuts, they look the same. And there is no telling them otherwise.
And again, I am struck by the simplicity and purity of their logic and love. They are brothers and they don’t need a piece of paper to prove that, nor do they care how anyone else feels about it. Their love for each other is all the evidence they need.
And despite a couple of subtle differences that don’t matter to them,(Kwamane is a little taller than Cole), they look the same now.
Too bad we all can’t see it that way.
