It’s funny how we sometimes forget the happy memories but the memories that make us sad or the ones that bring us pain, we remember in vivid detail. For me, Nov. 4 2011 is a date that will always be branded in my mind.

I remember sitting at in the Bean eating and talking to friends. It seemed like a typical Friday. You’d think that when tragedy strikes something in the atmosphere would change. But this day was just like any other. It was a normal day. Then, I got 5 texts in the span of 5 minutes. Each text asked the same thing, “Did you hear about the bus crash? Do you know who was hurt?”

Immediately I told the friends I was with and all we could do was sit in silence, overwhelmed by confusion and shock. After what seemed like forever we looked at each other. I remember asking them if we should send a quick prayer for those involved in the accident. We had no details but prayed that those affected were safe. Unfortunately, that was not the case. We soon learned that people were severly hurt and one was dead.

Death is a strange concept for our minds to grasp. Although I have experienced people dying unexpectedly, every loss is still a shock to me.

I always think about the “why” of the situation, and the more I focus on it and try to make sense of it all, the more it doesn’t make any sense. In my opinion, I do not believe that we can make sense out of death.

We may never understand why things happen because we can’t see the big picture. We are only one piece in a giant puzzle. Instead of trying to figure out the why, we should focus on finding our comfort in God.

We can take refuge in the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11.

“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 a hope and a future.”

We may not always understand the plan, but God does.

With Nov. 4 approaching, there will be plenty of sadness in my heart for the ones who have been hurt and for the one who has been lost. But I know that in everything, God has a plan. Anabel’s body may no longer be with us, but I believe that her spirit lives on through her legacy and that she is still influencing those around her with her story.