GratiTuesday: Melissa Luttenbacher

‘Okay friends’ are great

I first met Melissa Luttenbacher and her husband Scott a few months after moving to southern Illinois in 2004. Our kids are around the same age and were attending pre-K together. Because we were new to the area, we were looking for opportunities for the kids to meet new people. It was also nice for the adults and in all honesty those friends have outlasted the relationships between the now teenagers.

Melissa and Scott both have been very thoughtful friends. Melissa goes above and beyond each year hosting different parties. She even fills in as the game planner for other friends’ parties. She has a knack for getting everyone in the room to have a good time. The most recent example of this was over the weekend as we celebrated my birthday. Because it falls on St. Patrick’s Day, Melissa made sure everyone at the table had something green to stay festive. She and Scott also brought a cake and some beer too.

These may seem like minor details to most, but it’s a reflection of Melissa’s kind heart and willingness to make sure everyone has a good time. But it’s not just party planning. She’s always looking out for her family and friends. In late 2016 as my mom was battling cancer, Melissa mailed a care package to St. Louis to let my mom know she was thinking of her. It meant the world to us.

There have been other occasions when Melissa has cooked a meal and dropped it off at our house, just because. It makes my wife and I thankful to have someone in our lives who is looking out for us. I only wish we were a fraction as thoughtful as Melissa is. Here’s to many more years of friendship.