Our Prodigal Son

      Our out of town wedding guests are starting to arrive. Last night  I met  David our #4 son at the airport. David is from Spain and he has been visiting us yearly since he was 13. He is now 26, the same age as  Matt, our son who is getting married this weekend. David has slowly become part of our family over the past 13 years that he has been coming to VA from Spain to spend time with us. He and Matt are like brothers which is why he is here...to be one of the groomsmen.
   David is 2 months away from completing medical school in Spain and becoming a doctor. I am as proud of him as he  were one of my own. It is funny looking back to realize that is was only by  God's grace that we ever met David. We had just returned from summer vacation in June of 1997. The phone rang and it was Shawnette ( my friend and business partner) telling me that she had received an emergency plea from an acquaintance that two brothers were on their way to VA from Spain and that their host family had had to back out from keeping them at the last minute. This acquaintance was a coordinator for a foreign exchange program and  knew Shawnette had boys the same age as these boys.  She was calling everyone she could think of to find a home for them.  It was one of those calls that required an immediate response...one that would have immediate consequences. I had to consider whether to take a 13 year old boy who spoke little to no English into our home for 3 months with no time to prepare myself or my family. These boys were on the plane... arriving that evening! I guess it is obvious what my answer was. I did say yes but with much trepidation. As I said there was no time to prepare or talk with my family...my decision would affect their lives as well as mine but I could not find it in my heart to say no. So David came to us and his brother went to Shawnette and her family and the rest is 13 years of wonderful history. They are both members of our families.
    David made the trip from Spain in the middle of his last year of medical school to stand with my son Matt when he gets married...brothers...in every way. Each year when we greet him at the airport our hearts open to welcome our prodigal son home. Time melts away and the time that he spends with us becomes treasured time. Our sons have in turn traveled to Spain to spend time there and know David's family as their own. It has been a sweet story, one that I would not trade for anything.
    It was a split second decision that bound two families together forever. That is a decision that I will never regret...but as I look back I find it rather miraculous that I did say yes...that day...to a boy that needed a place to stay. Was it in our family's destiny...it does seem that way. I really think that I had no real choice that day...that it was already written. Welcome home David...now we can have a wedding!
Thanks for reading
Lynn
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