Day 45 - Weird Carved Black ... Thing (Give)

This is going to be a Christmas gift for my younger brother and his fiancee and it's something I was always supposed to give away.   Of all the things I have given away (and all the things yet to be given) this has to be one of the most "mystical".  For all I know it could be decades old and already passed through dozens of hands. I don't think my brother has seen this blog yet (at least he's never mentioned it), so hopefully I'm not spoiling any surprise. 

I have to tell you a bit about my brother because he is living a fairly miraculous existence at the moment.  His last twenty years have been ... how should I say this ... messy.  I wouldn't want to share in too much detail in a blog here... without his permission ... but I don't think he'd object to my saying that two divorces and a physical weight shooting well over 300 lbs would qualify as "messy".  And it wasn't just the bum relationships and the lack of physical fitness, either - he had drifted far from any belief in God. 

Then about two years ago (I think), in the midst of his second marriage coming apart, his life started to turn around.  Over the course of that year he dropped 140 pounds - and it wasn't some fad diet.  He lost weight the old fashioned way: ate less, ate better, and exercised more.  He started walking, then biking, then running.  He's even run a couple of mini-marathons now - in very respectable times!

And then a year ago or so came an even more important turn for the better in his life:  he rediscovered a faith in God.  He got involved in a local church and he seemed so much more open to the spiritual side of life.  The change in his spirit over the past year is almost visible.

Finally, just over the past few months the last piece of his transformation seems to have fallen into place.  He allowed a long time friendship (from all the way back to high school days!) to blossom into a romance.  His fiancee seems fantastic - a caring, godly woman with a good sense of humor - and she fits right into the extended family.  I think this will be the woman he grows old with.  They are planning an August wedding and he has asked me to give the message during the ceremony.  It will be an honor to do so.

So here's the deal with this black carved thing...  It was given to Melissa and me during our engagement by a young African guy who was working at a summer camp where we volunteered for a week.  I can't even recall his name now and I'm not even sure what African nation he was from, but he said this object held cultural significance.  It represents two people joined as one and it is supposed to be given specifically to an engaged couple.  When given, the groom-to-be is supposed to grip one figure and the bride-to-be is supposed to grip the other and then the giver prays over them both for their future as a couple.  Once married, the couple is to find another engaged pair to whom they can pass it on.  It's really a beautiful tradition and I've never seen anything quite like it. 

Anyway, this carving has been sitting on our shelf for over ten years now (whoops!), so it is definitely way past due to be given away.  I am wrapping it tonight (in another Christmas box which Melissa is willing to part with).  Hopefully Melissa and I will find some quiet time alone with the happy couple in the midst of our family gathering on Christmas Eve to pray for them.  I'm pretty sure the prayer is the most important part of the tradition!