something horrible almost happened today...

Last night, a friend of mine (I'll call her A) posted "adios" as her facebook status. I didn't put much stock into it. She's usually got some hilarious zingers and one-liners as her status. I figured, 'hey, it's 11:15, she's going to bed and saying good-night.'

Moments later, another friend posted to her wall asking if she was okay, because the friend had gotten a text message with that ONE word.

This morning, I got a call from another friend, stating that he'd gotten the same text, but hadn't read it till this a.m. He asked me, since A lives in my neighborhood, would I go check on her. I was dropping the kids off at school and said I'd head right over. I did.

Her car was home, but when I rang the bell there was no answer. I'd seen her dad drive away as I was coming down the street. I came home to see if I could find his number from someone. Got in touch with another friend, C, who lives down the street from A's parents. She checked, but A's parents were not home.

I headed back up to A's house. C went as well, and when I got there, there was yet another car there, one of A's co-workers. My sweet, beautiful, loving, caring friend A had tried to commit suicide last night. And none of us who got the message jumped at it LAST NIGHT.

Turns out her father had been in the house, but decided to let her "sleep it off". We weren't sure at first if she'd just mixed some alcohol with a few sleeping pills, but it became evident (empty pill bottles, alcohol, suicide note) that she meant to finish the job. We called EMS...I kept talking to her to keep her awake. She wanted to sleep, she was not very coherent. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about 10 minutes, EMS came.

She didn't want to go...but she didn't put up a fight, either. C followed the ambulance to the hospital. Scott had driven me up there (he was the one who found her note) so he took me home so I could get my car and head to the hospital. Just as we were leaving, A's mom showed up. Not much compassion in this woman, sad to say. She said she saw the ambulance headed down the street and figured it was for A. She wasn't broken up or terribly upset when we told her what had happened.

Scott followed me to the hospital, where some very important church members were waiting as well. They came to pray, and to support A's mom. After staying for awhile, and praying, they left. A's sister arrived a few minutes later. Shortly after, Scott had to head to work. Once Scott had left, we sat quietly. The doctors finally came to get A's mom and sister. I waited to see what was happening. They medically cleared her (no lasting effects from the overdose), but she was going to 'sleep it off' some, and then they were going to send her to a behavioral health facility.

That's where she is now. I know she's plenty mad at me, C, and her co-worker for summoning EMS. But how could we not? There was NO WAY we would have left her alone to possibly finish what she'd started!

This was eye-opening. This reminded me that God is in control, and when you try to design your life YOUR way, He makes other plans. No matter what, God is greater by far than anyone out there. His ways are not our ways...we can't even begin to grasp the very simple of what He offers, and there is much more to Him than we may ever know. But I do know this:

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version) says

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

He has a plan for all of us...for me, for C, for A, for her family. And we don't know what it might be, but He promises us in the above verse that His plans are NOT to harm us. We need only trust Him and believe that He will take care of us, to give us a hope and a future!!!

So, if you're inclined to pray, please pray for A, her family, and all of those who were involved today (including me). This wasn't easy for any of us, but for those of us who were there, we SAW what despair can bring....