“You’re better than the best.”
We sometimes might use that term of endearment toward a spouse, significant other, or family member. It’s quite a compliment. But, how exactly do you become “better than the best?” I certainly don’t consider myself better than the best, but I do like to see people happy. I am honored to be in the line of work where I get to make people feel better, laugh,and… smile. That’s right, I get to see people smile because of the things I do. But not everyone gets a stage, a rig of lights, and a microphone to amplify their words and thoughts into the translation of a smile.
Some people don’t need any of those things to make people smile. They make people smile just being who they are. One person whom I would most certainly call better than the best was a young man from my hometown named Daniel. Daniel DiNardi.
“You’re better than the best
I’m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip-side of my pillow (that’s right)
Completely unaware Nothing can compare to where you send me
It lets me know that it’s okay (yeah, it’s okay)
And the moments when my good times start to fade…
You make me smile like the sun,
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird,
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record,
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool,
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold,
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile.”
Wow, that’s a mouthful! But it speaks volumes about Daniel. Person after person after person has told stories about how Daniel made a difference in their life. About how he brightened their lives, made them a better person just by knowing him, and most of all how he made everyone smile. 3 years ago, Daniel was headed to his earthly home when Jesus intervened and took him to his heavenly home instead.
Even when you’re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack
And just like that
You steal away the rain
And just like that…”
Tragedy has an ugly face when you first look at it. It can cause you to be angry, point fingers, and cast blame. But when you look at the really big picture, and you understand that Earth is not our home, and that our departed are where we long to be… that should make you happy. It should make you smile. Here’s how it more than likely played out. Daniel awoke in a very unusual place. Unusual, because it probably is very unlike what you have heard from your church pulpit simply because there are so many opinions and screwed up contexts thrown in there with scripture. But, while this place was unusual compared to Earth, it was amazingly magnificent. There were no constraints. There was no confusion. No sadness. There was no pain. That’s right… no pain. Any pain that Daniel might have endured during his final days on Earth were gone in an instant when he joined his Heavenly Father.
I like to believe that when it finally hit him that the pain was gone, and he realized where he now was, and that this was the place he had heard of, but maybe a time or two didn’t believe was possibly even possible… Daniel shed his final tears. Because Jesus joined him on streets of gold, reached down and dried that young man’s eyes, and then held him tight, and then said… “2000 years ago, I hurt too. But I took the pain for you. Just for you… Just for this moment. Today. June 27th.” And as Jesus held him, he said to Daniel… “I’ve got this.” And Jesus smiled… and Daniel smiled. And friends… THAT is what makes me smile.
“Don’t know how I lived without you
‘Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile.”
Are you smiling? Go ahead, do it. It feels good. We’re not home yet. We are going to cry, and we are going to hurt. But, if we know Jesus, he will dry those tears and await that smile. Jesus makes me smile. Knowing that He has gone to prepare a place for us where we will never again live in pain or fear makes me smile. Knowing that I will get to take fishing lessons from Daniel one day in heaven makes me smile. (I hope Jesus is still into multiplying fish like he did in His Word, because something tells me that Daniel has a rod and reel and is emptying Heaven’s lake as quick as Christ can fill it.)
Get excited everyone, because we are closer now than we ever have been before. Let’s get happy, and just for Daniel… let’s smile!
SEE THIS STORY IN THE FORM OF A VIDEO SLIDESHOW…
The Alarida Journey 
Mark, for you to take the time & think of Daniel & write a beautiful story on him is golden to me. My Daniel is in Heaven. While I miss him & carry the insurmountable pain here on earth, I do know he is with Our Heavenly Father. That is the only way I can bear our loss, is to remember he is okay. Daniel changed the way a lot of us think. We gripe & complain about the stresses of life & we lose focus on priority & common sense. I still hear from people who say his tragedy changed their lives. They keep a picture of him in the car or on the fridge, they message me with signs from Daniel. More mothers now no longer take their kids for granted. They hug them more. They take this tragedy & discover that, yes, it very well could happen to my child. His remarkable & beautiful smile is still all over town. I love when someone lets me know they feel Daniel down on the pier or when at school. It is such a comfort. Nobody can hear the Smile song by Uncle Kracker without thinking of my boy. He is one of a kind. I still feel him with me. Stronger now than ever. It is a blessing to know Daniel & I’m sure he’s smiling down on us today, as he helps The Lord do His work. May The Lord bless you Mark for all you do to make people “Smile”. Thank you from the depths of my heart.
Mrs Paula, thank you for your kind words… But more than that, thank you for raising a young man that changed the hearts of many. The buck stops with the parents, and his legacy is a testament to how he was raised. Your other children will likely make an amazing impact as well… that’s my prayer. All I can say is, keep up the great work!