It’s hard to believe Dan’s been gone two years. Seems like just yesterday. But then again, it feels like there’s been a lot of life lived since then. Days can easily drag on when you are missing a friend.
Dan was the man who never met a stranger. He’d offer you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Part cheerleader, he always had a way of reminding you what the ultimate goal was in the middle of a struggle. Over the years, he and Linda took care of us like we were their own. How do you thank someone for taking you in that way? I haven’t found a way yet.
But Dan left suddenly and by his own choice. For those still here, there were more questions than answers. More confusion than closure. And likely more guilt than Dan could have ever comprehended. Through it all, Linda and Mrs. Skinny have stuck together. My heart continues to break for them as every day they search for whatever the new normal is without Dan.
And yet, the Lord took this tragedy, took the grief, took the pain and has used it to help others. It’s Dan’s lasting legacy.
Mental health has become my company’s number one priority. We have really stepped up the coverage even offering counseling services to spouses not on our insurance. It’s an initiative they’re calling “Your Life Matters”. The program is quite impressive.
But had Dan not made his choice, had our boss not watched his treasured employee endure the consequences of that choice, had life continued as it always had, change would have never been made.
Dan hid what was going on with him rather well. The cheerleader-never-met-a-stranger-life-of-the-party friend everyone loved. We all believe the Lord has taken this and will use it same hundreds of people and their families from having to face the same tragedy. Dan will live on not only in the lives of those who knew and loved him but also in the lives of those he never met. Because he will be part of their story whether they ever realize it or not.
Dan was the man who never met a stranger. He’d offer you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Part cheerleader, he always had a way of reminding you what the ultimate goal was in the middle of a struggle. Over the years, he and Linda took care of us like we were their own. How do you thank someone for taking you in that way? I haven’t found a way yet.
But Dan left suddenly and by his own choice. For those still here, there were more questions than answers. More confusion than closure. And likely more guilt than Dan could have ever comprehended. Through it all, Linda and Mrs. Skinny have stuck together. My heart continues to break for them as every day they search for whatever the new normal is without Dan.
And yet, the Lord took this tragedy, took the grief, took the pain and has used it to help others. It’s Dan’s lasting legacy.
Mental health has become my company’s number one priority. We have really stepped up the coverage even offering counseling services to spouses not on our insurance. It’s an initiative they’re calling “Your Life Matters”. The program is quite impressive.
But had Dan not made his choice, had our boss not watched his treasured employee endure the consequences of that choice, had life continued as it always had, change would have never been made.
Dan hid what was going on with him rather well. The cheerleader-never-met-a-stranger-life-of-the-party friend everyone loved. We all believe the Lord has taken this and will use it same hundreds of people and their families from having to face the same tragedy. Dan will live on not only in the lives of those who knew and loved him but also in the lives of those he never met. Because he will be part of their story whether they ever realize it or not.
The Lord uses all things for the good of His kingdom. And what a blessing, in the middle of such pain, to be able to see how He is at work.
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