18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
I think that love is taken for granted by us all at certain times.
With the marriage of my daughter Stacy to Chris I was reminded again the simplicity of love. They met, they acknowledged the life values that they both had and they began their walk in faith.
Taking the plunge takes faith and guts. Love which is from God himself makes our lives beautiful.
Through the union of Chris and Stacy Janet and I have been ushered into a new dimension in our lives too. We have yet another identity. The possibilities are there for some beautiful new pages of our lives to unfold.
FROM MY NIECES FACEBOOK PAGE. SHE IS GOD STRONG… AMEN.
A little over three years ago my uncle was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 glioblastoma and was quickly losing his strength on his left side. Despite all the odds by the grace of God he overcame his cancer. Yesterday he got to not only attend his daughter’s wedding to an amazing guy, but he got to walk her down the aisle and have their father daughter dance. It was a beautiful night! Congrats to Stacy Riley and Chris Cucinotto!
Tim McGraw. My little Girl.
ONE LINE IN THIS SONG IS NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH ME. CHRIS WAS THE PERFECT MAN FOR MY DAUGHTER AND MY FAMILY. 🙂
As I have written on this blog we need to celebrate the special God events in this life because there are sorrowful events that transpire as well.
To me a God event is one of those life events that God predestined for our lives per psalm #139.
God blessed my wife and I with eachother and he then gave us our 5 children and finally in this case our daughter Stacy.
Stacy was wed on Saturday to a wonderful man Chris. Chris has a similar family background very faith based so we are thrilled that God brought them together.
This story is about God’s victory in our lives. First of all because after 3.5 years after diagnosis of terminal brain cancer I was able to walk the isle and give my daughters hand in marriage.
How they met: God’s divine will.
Stacy toured a college and Chris was the student who took her group on the tour and that was the extent of their contact for 3 years. Stacy was dating here and there but was not finding what she wanted a person that fitted her values.
She came into the family room one night and I said whats wrong honey ? She said I can’t meet anyone nice 😦 They are all the same.
I got strong with her and said Stacy, did you ask God to bring you someone special ? She said no. I said honey pray and ask God to bring you the person that you desire. He will bring him. God always answers our prayers.
3 weeks later Stacy was all excited that a boy named Chris had found her on facebook that she met briefly years back ( school tour) and began a dialogue with her.They talked for a long while before they got together. My daughter was not one of those girls as she would say.
They met and there was an instant connection. He is exactly what she had prayed for. And guess what he lived in our own home town. They were from different parishes so they never met. God had them meet in his time after they could appreciate who each one was to eachother and in God’s eyes.
God is never wrong if we listen and are led by his Spirit.
This is the song we danced to. ( I used the word dance loosely. I donnot move very well on the dance floor perhaps by my next childs wedding 🙂 LOL
I played this song to all my kids and danced with them when they were little, my son included. lol. I said someday I will dance this with you when you get married.
Stacy did not forget lol
Bob Carlisle Butterfly Kisses with lyrics. it fit the occasion beautifully. Janet and I were sure that God had his rightful place in our home . He is the head of our family trinity.
Without God and prayer in a childs life it makes for a difficult road.
Finally, Mr Doctor , Dr. David Reardon sent this so I put it here for everyone to see.
please help if you can it is a worthy cause. Thank you.
God Bless You !
Danny
Dear Friends
I am writing to ask for your support with a unique opportunity to help us raise research funds for brain cancer.
Cancers that arise or spread to the brain are amongst the most challenging of all malignancies and outcome for our patients remains unacceptably poor. Today, promising therapeutic opportunities are emerging, but funding to support these research efforts, especially for brain cancer patients, is at an all time low. Without funding support, many of these promising efforts are at significant risk of failing to advance.
We critically need to do more for our patients and we need to do it faster.
The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) is a remarkable event to raise awareness and support for cancer research at the Dana-Farber. Brain cancer has never had a major supporter at the PMC until this year. Rick Kaitz and his team Erica’s Entourage have raised significant DFCI research funding for several years through the PMC. This year, Rick and Erica’s Entourage have agreed to direct a portion of the money they raise to the Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber. Specifically, research dollars generated this year will fund critical lab and clinic studies evaluating immunotherapy and precision medicine approaches for brain cancer. To do my part on behalf of this noteworthy effort, I will be riding the PMC (192 miles on August 1-2, 2015) as a member of Erica’s Entourage. My personal goal is to raise $100,000 for brain cancer research and with your help, I hope to raise much more.
In addition to helping our current and future patients, my ride also honors and serves tribute to the many patients who have passed away from these devastating tumors.
In order to help us move closer to finding a cure for primary and metastatic brain cancers, please visit my PMC webpage. Simply google “David Reardon and PMC” or go to http://www2.pmc.org/profile/DR0211. Any and all contributions are gratefully appreciated. Just as importantly please spread the word to your friends, families and colleagues to urge them to help us as well.
On behalf of our patients and their families, we are most grateful.
I went to bed a few nights ago after prayer I put my kindle on and was going off to sleep and a song came on and I felt my heart open up and I was saying I know this song from years ago. I actually got myself up on their edge of the bed to look at the kindle to see who the artist was. There was a strong Spirit of love from the song emenating into my soul. Plus this song was my mother in laws favorite song sung by Eva Cassidy. 🙂
I saw his name and did not recognize it so, I made note of it and fell back into the bed. The next morning I was at the 9 mass and I visited a hospital and brought the Holy Eucharist to a friend. I came home and began to see who IZ Israel Kamakawiwo’ole was.
He was a wonderful Hawaiian Man. A Holy Man. He tried to bring the love of the Lord to everyone and he had a strong social message for the youth of his time to stay drug free etc and to give back to their socity positive things.
IZ struggled with severe weight issues in his life reaching over 6 hundred pounds. He died of heart failure at age 38. He lived and gave his best to the Lord and struggled personally as we all do. but he was perfect in his imperfection !
He passed over 20 years ago but guess what ? Gods got him onto this post today he inspired me and hopefully you too.
But, his life was a complete victory he effected a beautiful change in this world. He lived his victory despite his struggles. Amen.
Today is Friday and I was at the 9 mass and visited the hospital and my friend Mary and her daughter for a visit. Mary is recovering from her illness They received the Holy Eucharist and we prayed together what a beautiful gift it was to see them.
Please pray for Mary and her family during this time. Marys husband Dan was home not feeling well also. Mary is an inspiration to so many in this time.
My aunt called and canceled my visit today she did not feel well enough . She is currently on a journey with cancer which has been very difficult.
So, please pray for Jeanne and her family.
This is the song that got me out of bed the other night. You will understand why in a moment. 🙂
Note at the end of the video the celebration of his life. Jesus took the sting out of death. We need to celebrate our days and our lives knowing that better things are to come to us all in Gods time. Amen.
My heart feels such gratitude for so many things in this moment. The small things in life are evening out the imperfections along the daily journey. The small moments of connections with friends and family are so healing.:)
I went to my dad’s today and as always his wit was with him. He is 87 but does not act it with me. He has a great sense of humor. So, he lifts my day up every time.
I headed home and thought you know what, I am going to visit the chapel for a few minutes so I did. It was very peaceful and I saw a neighbor who was sitting there in prayer. I walked out with J and we talked for a bit. She asked me to pray for her nephew who is having emotional difficulties. So please pray for J’ s nephew God knows who you are praying for. It was a very beautiful encounter today because I heard God becon me in that moment to visit that chapel. If I had gone ever 15 minutes later I would not have seen J and I would not have known about her nephews need for prayers. We now all can pray for his needs.
We are all connected so we need to listen to the Spirit of God’s voice and act on what our hearts call us to.
Lastly,
I am very grateful to my doctors and all of the medical personal that I have had. God has and is useing them to help me and so many others who are living with a cancer diagnosis and its complications.
I was thinking about this doctor, my Dr. Who is such a wonderfully compassionate man. I also have been blessed to see him in two very dynamic ways. As a patient number one and as a witness as he spoke to a patient that he was consulting. I wrote about this encounter on my blog months ago.
It must be very hard to be a doctor and to be on a battlefield with an adversary such as cancer. Could you imagine going to work on daily basis greeting people who are sick, afraid and in most cases are unaware of what they are in for.
Dr. Reardon knelt by my wheelchair and basically begged me to stay and have tests done to try to get me to treatment. I was so sick at that time I wanted to just go home I was too tired to cope and he stayed with me until I said okay !!! A special man indeed.
For Dr. Reardon…. thank you. 🙂
The doctor has to break the news to them and their families like my doctor did for us here. They also need to relay a sense of hope as well even in the most dire of circumstances Theses doctors and nurses are given such an incredible gift from God.
Without further adieu I wanted to introduce my doctor from Dana Faber . He is only one of the many people who have been so wonderful and Christ like in their daily dealing with me, my family and others around them . They are truely special people and healers of men by Gods design. So, I will begin to high light these people in the coming months.
His demeanor is always the same just wonderfully peaceful.
Just about 3 years ago after my diagnosis I found myself being helped up to the countertop of my jeweler Swansons in Arlington. My family has known them for years and they were my clients too. I haved worked in their home over the years, plus I decorated their showroom.
Well, back on point 🙂 My brother brought me in that day because steroid from treatment caused my entire body to bloat. My ring was so tight that my finger was turning color. So, Mr. Swanson looked so compassionalely at me as my brother held my hand in place and he had to cut it into 2 peices to get it off. They even had to use two sets of plyers to get it off of my finger. They were so careful not to hurt me. Beautiful people, and my older brother is a saint.
The two halves have been in the little jewelry bag for 3 years. Well 2 weeks ago I took a covert operations trip there to Swansons all by my onesies and left it with them for repair. Today, I picked it up after its repair and tonight I will have my wife slip it back onto my finger 🙂 It almost our 29 wedding anniversary so I felt it would make for a beautiful moment. I am a blessed man.
That little gold ring represents something totally irreplaceable. It represents my commitment to my greatest God given gift. It also serves as a reminder of what true unselfish love and sacrafice looks like. God in action. My beautiful wife Janet. Amen!
I was very glad to see the rain recently whereas everything has been so parched. Rain sets the stage for change in so many ways…
Rain can alter your mood. In a positive or negative way.
Rain can slow down our out door plans and make us change course in our days. Not a bad thing sometimes.
Rain changes the smell of the air outside making nature seem like it is renewed. Just the sound of the rain falling seems to be a healing factor of sorts.
Rain makes me personally contemplate everything. Last Sunday was a day of heavy contemplation. Being connected to my feelings and my God. I was thinking to myself how small we are in relations to this thing called life. I had been to church Saturday and my wife and I were having a typical weekend. Church, family etc. We also visited a family friend in the hospital Saturday which required a lot of walking for me. Mary is a wonderful family friend who is suffering from a severe infection in her left leg so she was having her leg amputated on Monday at 3:00 p.m. My wife and I spent time talking to her and reassuring her that God’s got her and will take care of her. As my wife and I entered her hospital room that day she began to cry and buried her face into her hands, she said you came and reached for my wife and looked and said a miracle is here as she cried and reached for me. I hugged and kissed her and said are you worried? She said yes but she said she had prayed and asked Jesus to please guide her with her medical decisions. She was at peace with the Doctors thoughts on this matter. I asked her what time the surgery was and she responded Monday at 3:00 I said Mary, that’s great that is the Lord’s hour. I told her that I would say the chaplet of Divine Mercy for her on Monday. I got up this morning and was eating breakfast by 5:45 am today / Sunday.On my way out, I placed my hand on her head and my wife and I prayed for her needs . I knew full well that God had her and her family in the palm of his hand.
I had decided that Sunday, I was not leaving the house at all. I was tired from the running that I had done all week so I began my regimen of reading, praying and interacting with my family, dad , etc.
I found myself reading about the illness that I have been living through namely non surgical Glio 4
From there, I turned on the television and the news was all about Beau Biden who passed from GLIO BLASTOMA as well. By the way Glio took Ted Kennedy too.
My cancer was non surgical grade four of the central nervous. Thats why I am considered a miracle in this moment.
I turned the tv up to listen to the Dr’s Grimm description of the illness and its nearly 100 percent death probability. And just thought to myself, I have heard this so many times. Yes, I do think of the statistics surrounding this desease from time to time and yes, I know it could come back someday to me too. But, I do not dwell in a house that sees and worries about things that only God controls. I have had a main focus since diagnosis in my life and it has been to love my family, my friends, my God and to do be something positive to this world and to help those who are dealing with their own life challenges. I set goals for myself to reach sometimes that have been too lofty as I have am coming to learn. My time table was not realistic. But, that what a hopeful outlook can do. It believes in only in the good possibilities.
I am not giving up on setting goals or expectations for myself I am just remembering that I need to be more realistic as to what I can and cannot currently do.
BTW, Mary had surgery on Monday and is doing well. The surgeon will be seeing her today. She remains positive and from what I have been told has a long road ahead.
Finally, I met with a friend that I had not seen for 3 years yesterday for lunch at a local restaurant. Dave and I caught up and he is a wonderful man of faith who belongs to Grace chapel. We talked about life and its many twists and turns. We talked about faith and our love for our Lord and his blessings upon us all.
I told him that we need to cut ourselves slack in this life to pick up the peices of our dissapointments and move on knowing that Gods got it and create a new creature in us all. If we just trust.
Fr. Leo Clifford . What a gift that he was given and he shared with us all. Amen…
Listen , learn and love.
Please pray for Mary M today. Mary had here left leg amputated today at @ 3:00 pm. I offered up the Divine Mercy Chaplet for her at that time. She is a lovely lady of faith and was accepting her situation knowing that the Blessed Mother and Jesus would be with her Amen.
well, its been about a week since my last blog. Life continues to be a mix of different life changes going on here at the homestead. All good fortunately at this moment.
My daughters coming wedding is stirring up different dad emotions. I am so happy for she and Chris. Janet and I as well as the other kids here are adjusting our emotions and mindsets daily. It is a beautiful moment in time where my family of 6 will grow by 4 with the marriage and Chris’s family.
By J. Steven Lang The love of husband and wife is, at its best, a hint of the deeper love between a human being and God.
I have continued to pray for and talk to others who are dealing with their own daily struggles with various illnesses. I have been throwing myself out of the house as much as I am physically capable of and when I am home, I will myself off the chair to wash the floor, do laundry etc to help out the family. They are all working and running around and I hate see my wife working constantly.
Life is so good despite our struggles.
I still stuggle with walking a bit since the track incidence so i am facing it head first still and confronting my fear of falling. its been harder on me than my cancer diagnosis has been.
its a combination of my human fear and a spiritual attack upon me.
And, it will not prevail over me. ! I am in a battle that Jesus has already won. You are too. 🙂
I was in my car going to my dads this week and the music was touching me so much. I felt so good, I felt young and the memories of my childhoods raced back to greet me. How bitter sweet taking into the account of the ones that are no longer here with me physically.
Plus driving makes me feel normal. I am no longer restricted.
In regards to this next songs they came to me while I was sitting here writing and I believe these songs about love and life can also very easily relate to our lives and our journeys. On the days when we just don’t feel like getting up to greet the day.
Music is healing. It is inpired mostly by the Spirit of God. Some of it is not and I stay away from the dark music.
i have no white flags for cancer or anything else.. Neither should you .
and lastly we need to guard our words to one another. Words can kill anothers Spirit and they also kills ours too.
Love yourself and you will love everyone else too. it begins within us all . Amen.
Bring joy, spread love, sow seeds of joy and faith. Everyone is worthy of this love.
Just Danny Speaks 