My wife and I were asked how we were doing during the week my first son was born. The phrase, “wonderfully exhausted” came to mind. It best described the intensity of those first couple of days. David was 5 weeks premature and spent his precious first moments on this earth in the NICU at Swedish hospital. That first week I went through the darkest and greatest emotions as I helplessly watched my son struggle to adapt to living in this world. Both the joy of his arrival and the fear of losing him broke my spirit and brought me to my knees. It was at that moment my mortality hit me.
Dan was there in that moment for me. He rushed up to the hospital to be by my side and lend support to Donna and I. Here was a man that from an outsiders perspective was helpless and frail supporting me, but there was nothing helpless and frail about Dan. Although his body didn’t work like most of our, his passion and love for others and his LORD was stronger then anyone’s I’ve ever met. Like being “wonderfully exhausted” with the birth of my son I am “sorrowfully joyful” with the loss of Dan. Sorrow filled at not being able to hang out, talk with, watch movies, pray and just be with Dan and “joy filled” at having had those times with him and knowing that he is now with his LORD and savior Jesus Christ. I miss him so much. I am so blessed to have been able to have been loved on by him over the years and for him to have been around my family. Today on the celebration of Dan’s arrival in Glory I am “sorrowfully joyful”, still and will always be I think, having been able to have been able to call Dan my friend. Missing him terribly especially with the birth of my daughter, who Bob and Becky were the first outside of “blood family” to meet her in the NICU when she was born.
May the God who vibrantly lived in my friend Dan give you Love, Joy and Peace and may God comfort Dan’s family on this “sorrowfully joyful” day.
