My plans changed just enough last week…..
When you are on the road, the toughest thing about it are the unexpected events that happen to your friends or family members and you either have the ability to get back, or you don’t.
I asked one of my kids the other day if they believed God managed every day of your life? I know this sounds crazy but we tend to asked the deep questions around our house. I also know some of you reading this just uttered the words in your head, “Well, let’s start with the whole idea about God first?” :) Fair question….however, for the sake of this blog, let’s get back to that discussion at another date; love me anyway, and let’s go with the idea that we believe.
So, my teenage kid said, “Well, I don’t think it’s an all or nothing situation Dad”. I said, “Tell me what you mean”. She said, “Well, I believe at times He does and sometimes it’s just life, and the whole idea is to accept He will take care of you no matter what”……I said, “Ok, I can go with that.” Then the conversation went to the question of Why? Tell me why you feel that way. Do we have examples, experiences, etc…?
I’m the kind of guy that likes to plan. I like to have list everyday and I like to work toward whatever goal I’m trying to accomplish. The thing is though, I don’t live in an “A to B” world. You might not either. In other words, I have to be flexible. In my world, events, meetings, promotional gigs, and many other things get cancelled, rescheduled, run long, run short, people come, people go, and weeks and months seem to fly by because of it. The magic is, when you look back, you can see how it all worked out the way it should have, even during the turbulent patches.
Last week was one of those times for me. We had a slight change in our schedule that allowed me to get back to Nashville earlier. At the beginning of the week, I received a phone call concerning one of my close friend’s mom passing away. It was not expected. She found out her body was taken over with cancer, which was followed by a stroke, and she died soon after that. My friend, and his sister just lost the only parent they have ever known.
I have missed events before because I was working on the road, and each time that’s happened, I knew that despite the timing, I was where I needed to be, and I’ve always found peace in my heart in those moments. This time, I immediately knew. Too many things had happened that gave me the opportunity, and that voice in my heart immediately said, yes.
The schedule was laid out for Ms. Eileen. The viewing was Wednesday, and in lieu of a funeral, she wanted to be cremated and have a “celebration of life” service. So fitting for her. The service would be Sunday night in my hometown. It’s about a 6 hour drive from Nashville to my hometown in south Alabama. I was able to make the trip down and back for Sunday’s celebration gathering and be there with my friends to participate and share in that moment. It was important to me, and like it always happens, there seem to be other reasons we can’t see until we go.
I think maybe my teenage kid is right. All of us experience the bad, good, and ugly of life. I’ve just had too many perfectly unplanned things happen that I don’t chalk up to accidents or some, universal, arbitrary, lining up of the stars. To some, I’m a simpleton that believes in the notion that there is a creator that orchestrates the paths in this life for billions of people. I guess I am….I didn’t say I had all the answers either, or understand exactly how that plays out from one day to the next. I just think it’s just as logical to believe in “something” as it is to believe that “something just happened”…..
There’s one thing I’d add to this “change in plans idea”……if we really believed that God is love, then we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s not all about us when our plans change unexpectedly. It’s always about both. It’s either something we have the opportunity to give, or it’s the fact we need to experience it, or, and most often, it is going to be both.
I also think my daughter is right…..some things are just a part of “this life” and He’s got the rest under control too..
“Make your plans, pursue your dreams…..but don’t be surprised with the detours…they just might be the most important part of your life”
Love you, Love you Big!