Change of Plans: A Tribute to Melanie

Flashback to the early 90's and hang out with me there while I tell you a story. I was in high school, trapped at work on a Sunday afternoon. When you're 17, and your favorite Sunday evening tradition is going to Pizza Hut with your friends,  being at work is a drag. Sunday nights were a blast, and I looked forward to them every week.

This particular Sunday, my friend was working with me, which helped my mood a ton.  But when we found out our other friends left to go to Pizza Hut before we got off, we were absolutely furious! So what do teenagers do when they get left behind? They make new plans, of course! The two of us traded in the Pizza Hut tradition and treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at a seafood buffet.  That would show 'em! How dare they leave us!

In hindsight,  getting left behind was the very best thing that could have happened to us that night. You see, not too long after that, God decided He needed my friend to come live with Him in heaven. I was a senior in high school, and to date, that was one of the hardest times of my life. It is one of the only times I've ever really questioned my faith. At 18 years old, I could not understand why God would let something like this happen. I still don't understand why it happened, but over the years I've come to trust God. I know His ways are good.

As Isaiah 55:8 tells me, His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts.  I spent several of my teenage years being really angry at God for taking my friend away far too soon.

February is a month I always think about my friend more than usual, because it's the month she celebrates her birthday in heaven. What I didn't realize until the other day was this; God knows every single thing about me and about what will happen to me. He orchestrated everything so even though we felt left out, we were actually given the opportunity of a lifetime to celebrate our friendship.  I will forever remember the laughter we shared around the table that night. But I didn't realize the irony and the beauty of the evening until some 20 years later.

 So as my friend winds up her birthday month celebration in heaven, I will end the month grateful for this opportunity to travel down memory lane. I will think about our fancy dinner, and I will smile. I will tell others about my memory, because life is short. You never know when a sudden change of plans will wind up being your favorite memory.