On (almost) every flight of this trip, there has been an empty seat between Erika Selby and myself. The one exception was when a flight attendant got on our flight last minute and sat in between us. So, why the empty seat? Because it originally belonged to Megan Small.
In case you don’t know, Megan is the 20th member of the Y Squad family. She helped us win squad wars at training camp and she was supposed to be my co-Worship Coordinator but the Lord called Megan to make the tough decision to remain home and grieve the loss of her mother with her family. Megan didn’t launch with us but she is still a part of this family.
I’ve met a lot of incredible people in my life but Megan is one of the strongest and most dedicated people I know. She has so much wisdom that I know she will impart on her next squad when she launches later this year.
That empty seat is so much more than an empty seat. It represents a part of our family that is missing. A person we all love and pray for constantly. Megan isn’t with us physically on this journey but she is never far from our thoughts and prayers.
A wise, tiny Hawaiian once said something along the lines of “ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” Megan will never be forgotten and we carry her with us every single day: in our hearts, our minds, our prayers, and in the empty seat between Selby and Upton.
