I will be taking up to a week off from my daily blog. During this Season of Lent I have been so busy with life stuff and this blog that I have found myself a bit strapped for time. My focus for prayer time has been very strained.
I am at a life intersection where I need to stop the daily process and sit with God in prayer. I can not serve God or others if I don’ t stop talking, and typing for a period of time.
I have been on a bit of a personal high with myself being cancer free, the dawn of a new Spring Season and getting my license back. I have been very distracted by the fruits of this life.
But I have learned through life experience that I cannot afford to be too invested in this life. I believe that for us to be successful in anything that we need do that we need to stay in balance. For me my faith in God is the ballast that keeps me stable through all of this life’s situation.
So, it’s time to be still and know that I now need to listen for his guidance.
We are all born of our parents by the miracle of God’s design of creation. I am sitting here today with Spring outside and I am just so enamored by its beauty
I was thinking about the fact that it is no coincidence as to where we are born and live. God predestined that for us before our birth that fact is stated in Psalm # 139.
Our lives are mysteries to us but they are not a mystery to God.
I love being a New Englander. The snow never bothered me until I became handicapped and have been reminded to be careful not to fall on the ice because if I hurt my right arm I can not take care of myself.
I love that I again live here. Since my illness almost took my life I am very cognizant of Everything around me like I have New eyes looking out, like a new sense of smell and a crisper ear to hear nature. I have been in essence a prisioner in my own home. The one thing I counted on was to watch the Seasons Change with anticipation of it and then projecting forward to the next season to see what would come.
NEW ENGLAND IN THE SPRING
When I was diagnosed with terminal cancer nearly 3 years ago, I projected my self towards the different Seasons that were coming birthdays and anniversaries. Projecting gave me a reason to fight for life. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring including me. I have my next scan the end of. April. 🙂
Okay, the bottom line is this I look at each day and each opportunity to experience the moments of the day in a new way. To stop and look at the beauty surrounding me , the smells,sights, and sounds of nature.
I came by this beautiful video of New England and it still does not capture its full beauty.
Enjoy, and God Bless You All,
Danny
Like I have said my mother and mother Inlaw,really loved this singer. I find great comfort of remembering these things when I write.
Times have changed so much. When I was a young boy my neighborhood had the nicest mailman. Everyone knew him and the kids and dogs thought he was great.
Sam would drive and walk his mail route. He used to take a couple of kids on his lunch break with their parents approval for a hot dog and ice cream. Then we would ride around in his US postal jeep and watch him deliver the mail.
Sam was married and did not have children. He was kind and always had dog cookies for the dogs on his route. He was giving out cookies to the dogs even through the mail slots. I remember he was missing the top part of his index finger. He told me that a dog thought it was a cookie. Lol
There was a huge saint Bernard dog that was so excited to see him and the mail truck on the street so he would bark, run off his porch to see Sam and he would climb into the jeep for a ride. Sam would laugh and give him cookies. On our way back out of the neighborhood he would stop and get the dog out and back on his porch. Looking back 99 percent of the things that Sam did 46 years ago would never be allowed now. But it was awesome. Sam also let us chew his green apple gum that he had. 🙂
This is the type of dog,full grown of course.
I am grateful for the memory of this kind man. He listened to each kid that took a ride in his jeep or walked the route with him. He was a great role model for each kid that he took along for a short while on his route. We were not invisible to him. When we went to the dairy bar down the street for the hotdog,the man behind the counter would say hello Sam, who’s your friend today. So nice. 🙂
This scripture was from my bible ap. I could not have picked a better reading for this wonderful man. He did not have children of his own so he helped to raise others. What a great man. God Bless Him. 🙂
13 Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [unobtrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom.
It was an innocent time when I grew up where families were generally large and we ran all over the neighborhood and played. Our mothers and fathers had to get a check in call if we at a friend’s house. The parents knew each other and called each other as well. It was a great time where we as young children seemed somehow safer to move around.
I believe each one of us is the sum total of our life experiences. I believe that the kindness that I learned from my family and people like Sam the mailman equipped me with an awareness and need to let people know that they matter. In even the smallest way.
Life is beautiful and the people that we are encountering during our day should be validated. I don’t care if it is a check out person at the store, the person you hold the door for or the person on the bus. Everyone is lifted up just by being recognized. Just the fact that someone cared enough to share a kind word just means so much
What is there in life that is more important then to bless another person. To be Jesus to a young one on the road trying to find their way.
This song is for Sam who I am sure went to God many years ago.
The weather is changing, the days are longer and life is so beautiful so why not laugh. Just laugh and let the Spirit of joy lighten your heart and mind. Amen.
I saw this amazing teaching of FR. Leo Clifford and it was so spot on with life and what awaits us when we are called to God. The link is down below.
The beauty of the pure love that God has for us is something that I know is bigger than we could ever imagine.
How do I know?
It’s quite easy for me to explain, I felt this love on a couple of different occasions in my life and the joy was more that I could handle. My heart exploded and I got a glimpse of what the love of God is.
God’s love supersedes our understanding . So many beautiful things that we experience in this life are beautiful. But none of my life’s experiences have come even close to that level of total love that I have felt in those brief encounters.
One of the times that this experience happened to me was during confession and spiritual direction a few years back. I was crying from the overwhelming joy of love that God poured through me. Fr. Said it was a gift to me from God on my journey to let me know he is pleased.
The bottom Line is this. Fr. Said it is a glimpse of what Heaven would be like with Jesus Christ/ God.
My response as I attempted to compose myself and sit up straight was, I cannot handle this love then. Fr. R looked at me with a questioned look on his face . I just said it is too much for me to handle. Too much beauty.
I have said that I would always be honest about what I write here on this blog because it is not all me.Its happening to me and I am merely relaying my journey here.
God does not want me to experience one thing more here in this life than he does for you . We are all the same in his eyes. Ask, and you shall receive.
Why I had the feeling that I could not handle the love of Heaven at that time in confession has been thought about many times through prayer since the 1st event happened.
This is my opinion on this matter,
I am a sinner in ways that I am sure that I am unaware of . When God calls me I will still be unworthy to be in his presence . I do believe we need to go to purgatory in order to be purified before we arrive in Heaven. I guess the amount of time we spend there will depend on how we lived our lives here.
Some may not believe that and that’s okay. I can only speak for myself. I know on my best day I am not worthy. I am not beating myself up I am just being truthful and honest. Amen.
We Wait For You (Shekinah Glory) & Lyrics (Shekinah is God.)
Psalm 42 versers 7-9
7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me– a prayer to the God of my life.9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning,oppressed by the enemy?”
The trials of this life roar at me I acknowledge that The Lord who is my rock is with me on this journey and guides me in the day as I toil. At night time when I have a worried mind he comforts me and soothes me with the music of his word. When we are at our weekest ( When we are tired) is when the evil decides I will get them upset and make them worry. We can’t sleep and are thinking God why aren’t you stopping him from this crap ?
Why must I be oppressed.
The answer in my opinion is this. pray,pray,pray talk from the heart and you will see the effect. Peace pours down through the mercy seat and we are washed by the healing blood of Christ. Nothing can bother you too much when we put ourselves in front of the one who created all. This is the world that we have as a result of sin. So, these challenges are part of of our daily journey.
Just a quick blog, I am sitting here at home all by my onesies, and was thinking about my blog. I have had so many conversations over the last two years about documenting this journey. What I get now more than ever is just how much people are enjoying the witness of my journey and that of my family. Its causing my family to re-live certain events that were tramatic in that day and I guess this journey,of hearing it and reading about it in this manner will bring more closure and healing to us all.
My intent for this blog is very simple, I want to help even just one person. We are all the same to God precious. This blog is his victory story. To everything there is a purpose.
The byrds
When it comes down to it, by the grace of God all that we have in the life really is eachother, and that is really the most important thing anyway. Material stuff is really so unimportant. We need to celebrate and support oneanother. Amen.
Hi All, I used these songs to end my day on Monday. I was lead to them after prayer and decided that they would be nice to share in this moment. Enjoy this beautiful Day. 🙂
Beautiful songs just enjoy. God is so good.
Yesterday: by , Mary / Mary
Laren Hill and Tanya Blount
This song reminds me of a lovely women that went to the Lord . God Bless you . C
I will not get into my day yesterday, in too much depth . Let me just say this. We are Blessed with so much. Through connections that only God can create. My story made its way through different health professionals and lay people prior to even starting this blog. It culminated with my being picked up at my home by a new friend that I knew only by voice. C, and she took me to Dana Farber because a very dear of friend of hers has been diagnosed with Glio Blastoma , brain cancer and she asked me to support her. My Dr. R, as God would have it is treating her/ my new friend as well. A is a very lovely lady with a beautiful family to support her.
God is connecting all the dots all the time. Connecting us all in a web of Mercy with relationship to oneanother. When I was not with A today while she had her scan etc, I found myself just sitting there. I thought to myself what are you doing? I began to pray for her and every person that crossed my path. I asked God to heal them from Cancer and all these deseases.
Sometimes we feel powerless, blue and like life is a non stop stuggle but I will tell you one thing. We are all so powerful because of our prayers. God answers everyone one of them. Life is once again in control. We have hope.
The woman today, A. her daughter C, and friend C were so lovely, I had never met anyone of them in person prior to today. But that is God for you ! They were all wonderful. I even had the pleasure of speaking to A’s husband on the phone for quite a while. What a wonderful man.
So in closing keep looking up and look for the opportunities that God sends you. In my responding to a request to support another human being, I was the one who was truely Blessed.
The doctors were informed that I had an incident in Radiation with the equipment malfunction and left the room quickly, I had said to the doctors that I was okay and could see from my left eye again. Although, like I said to my wife, brother and the few who have heard about this account over the last year or so .I had to complain 🙂 I said hey God, my vision returned in my left eye to what it was before I was blinded, you think that you would make it perfect when vision was restored.:) I have told you before God must be rolling his eyes all the time over me. LOL Father said that God has a sense of humor , So, I choose to believe him 🙂
Going home in the car my wife was like, Danny we need to know what happened, my brother tried to just say it would be a good thing to know even for others. My feeling was at that time, Its fine, it happened and it is over. They know how firmly God has placed me into a peace that is not of this world. In my mind I hear all ll the time like a whisper. “Be Still and Know, I Am God”. So, I understand why people have a hard time understanding me. But ,know in their hearts it is true. So that night was filled with every living family member of my family calling me to say Dan, you have to ask them what happened. My brother B and my wife were taking me the next day for treatment.
We got up the next morning, my brother was in our driveway here at around 5:30a.m. as usual. And off we went to Dana Farber, we went to the radiology unit at Brigham and Williams, that is where my radiation treatment was done, and checked in. My wife said again, Dan find out what happened when you go in. Bob said the same thing. They were ganging up 🙂 lol
Just kidding, again no one was wrong in their comments that I should find out what happened. I just announced to them it is not about me everything is happening as it should. I just had peace. You will see and read why shortly. I was the only one allowed in the radiology treatment area so the staff came and got me again the Spirit was right their to great them. Big smile as always, I gave the staff my as I called it my golden ticket like Willy Wonda, it was a red card actually that would allow my program to run on the radiation equipment. They took me to the treatment vault by the massive solid door and rolled me around the corner in view was the treatment bed and the 3 or so staff members that were normally there. They all greated me with smiles as normal. No one mentioned the day befores event. And what the Holy Spirit did in this moment was just astounding. When I say in my writings that I am merely a passenger on the bus watching God work his Miracles it is very true! I am so serious about that fact, and it is not because of me, I am, justme. God used what the devil was attempting to do to me which was to silence me so that I could not continue my ministry and giving Gods good news. God can do anthing! It as plain as day to me. And when God wants me and my witness for him is done. I will be taken to him. I will then be judged too for my shortcomings. Just a plain and simple fact of life.
So anyways, I am sitting in my wheelchair facing all of these people. There was a new face that I never seen standing there before. In a second, God took over and The Holy Spirit emerged. Out of my mouth came. Hello, to the new worman in the lab coat , This is the Holy Spirit everyone in the room was polarized and staring at me. I saw tears in the eyes of the believers that had been treating me over the last 5 or so weeks daily. He said you are in charge of the equipment correct? She said yes. The Holy Spirit said then you know what happened to Dan yesterday when the equipment malfunctioned and he was blinded in his left eye. She was so stunned, He said Dans doctors came right down to check the equipment to see what happened, again she said yes. The final question he asked was this, Dan should not be able to see with the amount of radation that he received is this true, he is a miracle she hesitated, he said, it is true isn’t it? She said yes, I saw the faithful in the room just totally wrapped up in Gods amazement and glory.
There was a young person working in that room as well that was an intern finishing up her studies in college. Everyday during my treatment she was generally there. Her name was L and she reminded me of my daughters very sweet. Everyday when my treatment was done before I left the vault as I call it. They would grab my treatment card and hand it to me. Then, away they would take me to my family in the wheelchair. Well everyday, I would say, God Bless You as I was leaving that area and I could tell she hated it, never said a word to me but she would turn away.
Well, God healed this situation in about 10 seconds one of the most breathe taking things I have ever witnessed and guess what it was not about me, all of the radiation staff were still there including the women responsible for the machine. God established that I was a Miracle and then turned directly towards the young lady L. I felt the Holy Spirit through me lock eyes with her and God reached out with such love,
L you are not a believer. Just a simple loving statement made by a father, she responded softly yes, I do. Again, God through the Holy Spirit was talking to her with such love all the faces in the room were locked on my eyes. God said, you don’t and thats okay. Dan tells you everyday, God Bless You and that is only because he is thankful to you for your helping him. With that her face lit up and you could see joy. Hear heart melted and her presence was light and she now believed in God. This is only the tip of the iceberg on what God is doing in this time through many people. Love heals, truth breaks deception, God triumphs over everything with Love. He is the just Judge. He knows all, like psalm #139 say’s We cannot hide from him, he knew that in this second before I ever came to be that I would be declaring his victory. His God News! today right now ! And, you would be here reading it. We are all connected.
I then layed on the treatment table and was strapped in. I had no concern based on what happened the day before, I had my job and that was to offer up everything for whatever God wanted. It was simple. Treatment went well and I as always felt great and thankful.
The Bottom Line :
You see my appointment with my doctor that was scheduled for the day before was switched to the day of the incident. So, God new that in that day this malfunction would happen, he also knew that I would be seeing my doctor on that afternoon. He also knew that L would be in my treatment room as a student and witnessing the whole thing. And, then the next day God declared Victory to the staff in Radiology that I was a Miracle building all of their faith. He then turned around and saved L. right before our eyes. She saw the truth, so her eyes open to Heaven and God. As the bible says the Scales fell from her eyes. If that’s not magnificent then, what is? God handles everyone of our lives everday, I am having a hard time with typing and dictating so, you know where I stand. 🙂
By the way L’s last day as a student ended on my last day of threatments in June 2012.No coincidence either. She always said God Bless Me with a big smile on her face, she rolled me out of the room that day and hugged me. I introduced her to my wife and brother and my doctor was in his office so, the fog horn(me) opened my mouth and I yelled hey Dr. A. LOl He came out and greeted me, what a great guy! 🙂 I said, L here is finishing her studies when she comes for a job please help her out, she’s great !They all laughed. I often wonder how she is. Like the bible say’s, Jesus will go after the one lost sheep to protect it. And, he did 🙂 Also, I cannot imagine the wonderful things that L will do in her life. Just beautiful. Amen !
Just Danny Speaks 