Ring Christmas Bells

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by justdannyspeaks in charity, Creator, faith, God, Holy Spirit, hope, inspirational writer/speaker, lifes journey, love, miracles, Mother, motivational writing/speaking, sacrafice, Uncategorized, wisdom

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It was a beautiful Thanksgiving and the rest of the weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. My friend Paul and his family was on my mind as well as my nephews ongoing medication saga. My energy remains low to this day , I am told that it is not surprising whereas every step I take is using 4 times the energy of that of a healthy person. So, I basically was in my home all weekend with the exception of church. I went to bed last evening around 11 and fell right to sleep. I woke up at 3:00 am just laid in place thinking and praying about the things that came to my mind.

I never went back to sleep in a meaningful way so I turned on my kindle and just laid there looking out my window. The tree was moving gently in the wind , I could see the squirrels nest now that the leaves have fallen. The next song came on and I thought what a beautiful song to start my day with as I was getting up.

When I wrote last week that I loved the brightness and light of this Season I was not referring to day light savings time when it dark at 4:00 . I love the Advent Season , the hope and I love the Christmas decor that reminds us that our King Jesus Christs celebration of his birth will be later in this month.

so, the bright lites that we decorate with along with our Advent candles help to supercede the stuff of this life that are trying.

so, enjoy this beautiful song and listen to the words of love and hope that it provides for us.

life is to be celebrated.

God Bless You,

Danny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBpmaIRaiU

When God Calls Me Home

29 Sunday Nov 2015

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i came upon this today after I attended church. I thought of our lives and the way that God helps us and desires for us to understand him as our loving Father.

this was beautifully done ,may you find comfort in its words and its delivery

God bless you,

Danny

A time of prayer, a time for concern. This thing called life.

28 Saturday Nov 2015

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This is the time of year that I favor. I love the change of the Seasons and the Holiday/ Christmas Season so much. It ushers in a freshness of air , an abundance and light. It culminates with the Calander change into a New Year with new opportunities. Sounds great doesn’t it?

Well, there is one thing that keeps on going even during this period. It’s called sorrow. Sorrow for things past and most importantly in the present moment.

This Season is no different. I am in contact with many people weekly who are living their own cancer journeys or have friends and relatives who are and I spend a lot of time supporting and loving them through it.

I would please ask you to pray for the following people and their families and caretakers this day.

Stevie. Terrible emotional turmoil and medication issues. We pray to the Lord.

For Paul S. Who is a fight for his life with pancreatic cancer / liver. We pray to the Lord.

For all of the people suffering from any type of medical situations whether they be emotional , or physical I pray that God will reach down and remove their afflictions. We pray to the Lord.

Last evening late one of my children’s friends who is home on school break popped in to visit and he found himself in my family room and my wife and I had the opportunity to speak to him . He is a great kid and we spoke of his recent loss of his grandfather and the feelings surrounding that life event. I was honored to witness the words spoken by him in regards to his grandfather and the legacy of love that he lived. I also understood the loss that his grandmother and the entire family was feeling.

This thing called life is very real. We here have a very dear family friend Paul S and family who are fighting the good fight against cancer. As I said last night to the young man Ryan in my family room. They are witnessing the strength and faith in God to so many. They are showing love faith and trust in their God.

3 blocks away from me in this moment is my beautiful nephew Stevie who is battling the most oppressive of all mania caused by medication issues. My nephew is a Saint living a difficult life walking head first into a raging strong. Stevie is not lost because he has a family circling the carriages around him and supporting him from the total onslaught of the storms fury. In this moment there in their home is my brother, his wife, their two daughters, their son in law and mother in law riding out the storm with him. They have been in this hurricane for 25 years.

Guess what, he is counted as our families most beautiful members, a young man who sees only good, who’s heart is pure. He is love personified.

My brother and his wife and family have a journey that not many could have lived with daily. But you see the one thing and perhaps the most important thing is that they know God he is their refuge. He is the reason.

So, there are 3 examples of why we need one another, Paul. S, Ryan and family and Stevie, our families angel.

Please pray for them all this day. And, let us all keep the small stuff in its place and praise God for his love and goodness in this thing called life. Amen.

So, please listen to and read the lyrics for the following song and then say a prayer for the people mentioned in this writing. I also will pray for your needs as well. God knows who you are and what you need.

God Bless us all. Amen.

Danny

Praise You In This Storm – Casting Crowns – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5bLvVjJ4MA

Because anything is possible if it be the will of God.

26 Thursday Nov 2015

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A friend on Facebook that I follow, pray for and that I am inspired by. He has a strong fighting but loving Spirit that I relate to.

A God Strong man and inspiration . God bless Iran and his lovely daughter.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13510735

Not Talking Turkey.

25 Wednesday Nov 2015

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Angels, cancer, caring supporting, child, children, depresson, generosity, Gleo Blastoma, god, good shepherd, healings, Holy Spirit, hope, humor, Jesus Christ, laughter, life, love, Marine, Miracles, Mom, motivational speaker/writer, obligation, Our Lord and Savior, peace, prayer, Protect life, rely, Roman Catholic, Special Needs, Stop Smoking, survivor, trust, wisdom, worship

I like all of you am rolling in and out of the minutes, the hours, the days, the months and yes the years. I do not know if the expression that I heard so many times that times goes faster when your older is true, but it would appear that way at this time. I don’t really know why but it seems to be going faster and faster.

Life and events around the world are unfolding at lightening speed.

I am so grateful that I am here still despite the things that I have and am enduring daily. The saddest parts of my days is the constant crappy news that I read and see on the television or finally hear or the radio.

I was at the Y today at the live strong program and was on the exercise bike. It is equipped with a elaborate computer info center and television screen. As I went through my exercise program the television was on and the sound was muted. I glanced at the screen and the text of the conversation was scrolling along televisions picture. So the twilight zone I found myself in was this. The crap about the election and all of the people that I do not trust . I do not care about party don’t like anyone. The news about terrorists. Warnings of bombings, beheadings etc. You can’t say Christmas. The text just kept going in the meantime one of the other cancer patients sat down beside me on the next machine and smiled. She said hi Dan and I looked at her beautiful face. She was sitting there with her head scarf on. She said how are you and I composed my self quickly by the grace of God and said good with a big smile . The inner turmoil of all of the evil in this world was not going to be vented onto the beautiful lady. Within one minute one of the program counselors came by to check in on us and when they engaged and he assisted her I was able to say a couple of prayers to allow me to be restored to a peaceful place.

The point is this. I am sure this is not what God had in mind when he created the world. What is it that makes people be so cruel to oneanother. No one is any better than anyone else. I just looked at my friends there who have been fighting so hard and struggling along with me at the Y and thought these people are the best. They are the hero’s, they struggle and they reach out to anyone and everyone with a smile and a kind word. They are not me centered they are not complaining they are laughing and loving. There is a Spirit of joy. We are not all of the same faith or belief necessarily but that makes no difference either.

Its a sad commentary that society finds itself here in this moment. I pray everyday for common sense and civility to be restored.

I am grateful for everything I have and hope that this Thansgiving this world will wake up and begin the healing process that only goodness and Godliness can bring.

I am beginning to appreciate that the fact that cancer came to destroy my life but it has only blessed me in ways that I could never have anticipated.

I am not a victim of cancer anymore than anyone of my friends that has been through it, who has survived it or who has succumbed to it.

There is a Spirit of God that is joy, that is love that is hopeful and will not be defeated by any story or any of the many idiots on the TV .

I will close with this term ;

my mom use to say.

Knowing what you stand for, Limits what you fall for.

Important words to live by these days.

God bless you all. Happy thanksgiving.

Danny and family

please pray for our friends with illness and cancer especially our friend Paul S. and JD

and pray for my daughters friend a young man from Connecticut Santiago who took his own life. He was a wonderful young man and will be missed.

May God bless him and his family. Amen.

My six month visit.

16 Monday Nov 2015

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Angels, believe, cancer, caring supporting, child, children, depresson, faith, forgiveness, frienship, generosity, Gleo Blastoma, god, good shepherd, healing, healings, Holy Spirit, hope, humor, Jesus Christ, laughter, life, love, Marine, Miracles, Mom, motivational speaker/writer, obligation, Our Lord and Savior, peace, prayer, prayers, Protect life, Roman Catholic, Special Needs, Stop Smoking, survivor, wisdom, worship

Today was a day of anticipation. This morning I was up at 4:00 am and got ready for my Boston visit to Dana Farber. This was my first scan in 6 months which is a miracle in itself. I remember being there in Dr. Reardons office last July and him saying to me after that scan result. You know Dan, your out of treatment over two years now . He said with a smile. He said, you know what that means?

My response was no. He said that it was absolutely astounding that with my particular Glio that there had even been the slightest step back or recourrance of the disease. I just said its God. He does not want me yet.

Well , today I went to Dana and was the first person in the garage at 5:15 am just me, myself and I sitting in the quiet palatial front patient waiting area. I began to do my personal inventory, I missed my wife sitting with me there but had decided last Dec when I had my license to drive reinstated that I needed to go this alone. Every appointment that I attended at Dana Farber had at least 4-5 family members there to support us. I used to say here comes the Riley gang.

I I told the doctors , it’s like the bible they are my witnesses. They laughed and always go the chairs needed for everyone.

Today, I was alone. Just me and my cane. No more wheel chair, no more walker just a slow and sure walk towards the blood clinic at 6:00 am and the off to the lab for my 45 minute brain scan finally I made my way to Dr. Rear dons office for my 8:00 am meeting and results.

He was great as always and said the result was great and there is no tumor activity nor is there any scar tissue. He asked me about my life and what issues I may be having. I told him that I am pushing myself. He was thrilled to hear that I followed through with the Livestrong program at the Ymca.

i just said that I am phytigued a lot. He said we can try to do something to help the body. So he prescribed something and I went to get it and was told that he would have to call the insurer and have them approve the reason and need for it.

My wife currently pays into her plan and it is part of her work benefit the insurance cost my wife and her employer pay is 24,000 a year.

So, we wait and see how this shakes out. 🙂

in the meantime thank you all for your prayers.

i am truly grateful to my God for allowing me this time with my wife, dad, children and my family and friends. This will truly be a joyous Thannksgiving and blessed Christmas season.

its funny this morning as I laid in bed before getting up at 3:30 I turned my kindle on and it was playing Christmas music. It was a tad early but the music brought moments of long ago, my mom, grandparents and friends who not await me when I join them. I thought that was a beautiful sign that they were there and know my own personal fears, doubts and securities as to what might have happened today at that office. I feel the prescience so offen of the Blessed Mother with me , a sense of comfort to me.

none of us is ever alone , love surrounds us.

God Bless You All,

Danny

The average Joe.. :). There is no such person.

12 Thursday Nov 2015

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This is a term that I have heard said many times in my life. Not necessarily at me but was used as a term meaning the same as everyone else. I was thinking about this today as I pushed on through my workout at the live strong program at the Y.

People are always amazed at what I do, or how I do it. What effect or to what extent I push myself. What people do not realize is that all of the other patients there are feeding and inspiring me to do my best. The staff there, my friends Dan, Sophia and Trish are such a source of motivation and source of such goodness and service to everyone that is there in that program.

God does not count even one of us as being average, I am sure of that. God looks at each one of us as unique. As a matter of fact not more that 1 of us has ever had the same exact genetic code. We are all unique. Now, that’s God for you he is magnificent.

We are all born to greatness. Greatness in what ever we are doing. Each person and station in life is looked upon by God in the same measure. God from how I feel just wants us to be the best of whatever we choose to be all the while serving others.

For quite a while during the time frame of my illness I sat here in my recliner where I have spent so much time. I remember in confession with Father that I can’t stand not being able to do anything or to help others. What I have finally come to realize is that I am helping others and adding value to people lives.

God has me here in this moment to witness his sovernty in this world and in our lives. It is the time of Miracles. I am not the only one but so are you all. Just stop and meditate for a moment on your breath. Feel your heart beat in your chest, listen with your ears and look with your eyes at your surroundings . God is in every element of our lives sustaining us. Giving us what we need in every moment.

We should all be aware of this fact in each moment of our day and give God his glory. We should give one another love and hope in whatever life’s situation that we find ourselves. We need each other, young and old, sick or healthy affluent or indigent.

love , love, love

God Bless You All,

Danny