Smile (for Daniel)

“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 27^th.”  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…

♫♪ History Maker ♫♪

Every beating heart has one thing in common… existence.  Each of us on this planet, from the ones that are just being born right this very moment to the ones that are about to breathe their last breath all “exist.”  We all make some sort of mark on this Earth.  For those who choose to only exist, the mark may only be that line between our tombstone’s birth date and death date.

Then there are those who endeavor to do more than just merely exist.  There are the ones who “dream.”  These are the ones who will literally explode if they are forced to sit on the bench while the rest of the team plays.  They insist on being part of the action.  They have to make a difference.

Then, there are the special ones who make a huge impact on those around them, even when it was never their intention at all.  One example is Daniel DiNardi, a young man who’s physical life on earth ended briefly after an accident, but his legacy went on to touch thousands of people who never knew him.  This young teenager lived a life of compassion and love to those around him, and after his departure from Earth, the ones who knew him best came from out of the woodwork and reminded friends and strangers alike that there are great people in this world even when it seems everything else is falling down around us.

♫♪  “Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it’s true and I believe it
I’m living for you” ♫♪

Another example is Ben Breedlove, a young man from Texas known for his vlogs on YouTube.

On December 18, 2011, he released a 2-part video on YouTube, entitled “This is my story.” Using note cards, he explained about his heart condition, as well as the impact it had on his life. He also mentioned three near-death experiences.  In the video, Breedlove describes the first time he “cheated” death, which was at the age of 4 when he had a life-threatening seizure. He goes on to describe an experience he had in a hospital while being wheeled on a stretcher, “There was this big bright light above me … I couldn’t make out what is was because it was so bright. I told my mom, ‘Look at the bright light’ and pointed up. She said she didn’t see anything.”

On May 3, 2009, he underwent surgery to insert a pacemaker.  In the video he shows a red scar on his chest, where the pacemaker had been inserted.  In the summer of 2011, he fell into his second cardiac arrest, while in the hospital for a routine tonsillectomy. He stated that, “It was a miracle that they brought me back … I was scared to die, but am SO glad I didn’t.”

The third time he survived death was on December 6, 2011. While in the hall at Westlake High School, he felt that he was going to faint, so he sat down on a bench where he then passed out. The next thing he recollects is being surrounded by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, and that he was unable to speak or move. He remembers passing out a second time after being resuscitated with a “shock pad”. During this time his heart ceased pumping blood for three minutes.  While unconscious, he had a feeling of comfort similar to that of his first near-death experience.

Ben recalled being dressed up in a white suit while standing alongside his favorite rap artist, Kid Cudi, in a white room.  He asks at the end of the video, ” Do you believe in Angels or God?” and simply answers, “I Do.”

Ben Breedlove died from cardiac arrest on the night of Christmas Day at his parents’ home where family and friends were gathering for Christmas dinner.  Paramedics rushed him to the hospital but were unable to resuscitate him.  On December 29, his funeral was held at the Gateway Church, in Austin, Texas. The memorial service was streamed live on the KXAN website, at his father’s request. More than 1,400 people attended the service, and another 11,000 watched online.  A day after the funeral, Kid Cudi said in reaction “This has really touched my heart in a way I can’t describe, this is why I do what I do.”

♫♪ “Is it true today that when people pray
We’ll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it’s true and I believe it
I’m living for you” ♫♪

I always wonder why it is that we don’t really take notice of History Makers until after they’re gone.  Why do the kind words rarely get spoken until there’s a casket in the room?  There are those around us that are making history, and many people don’t even know it.  So… let me introduce you to one who is an “up and coming” history maker… Nathan Farley.

Nathan Farley, a young man from Virginia, created the video above in response to Ben Breedlove’s video “This is my Story.”  Nathan admits his shortcomings as a Christian, but reveals that through Ben’s death, he chooses to live.  He mentions Ben Breedlove’s final YouTube words… “” Do you believe in Angels or God?”   Nathan’s note card reply…  “I do too!”

Nathan posted the link to his new video on his Twitter wall, and within minutes, his friends lit up Twitter retweeting the video, and admitting that the video touched their hearts as well.  Only God knows how many said a prayer of their own as they watched Nathan’s video.  Countless people said they wanted to be a better Christian and closer to God because of Nathan’s video, which was inspired by Ben’s video.  (See how it works?)

♫♪  “Well it’s true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We’ll see miracles, we’ll see angels sing
We’ll see broken hearts making history
Yes it’s true and I believe it
We’re living for you.

I’m gonna be a history maker in this land I’m gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind I’m gonna stand, I’m gonna run Into your arms, into your arms again.” ♫♪

Great people are all around us, and whether they are trying to or not… they’re changing the world.  You can find Nathan on Twitter at @Nate_Farley and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/nathansvideochannel .  Here’s the chance to meet someone who is helping change people’s hearts and rattling their cages.

We’re not guaranteed tomorrow.  We’re not guaranteed another single breath.  What will you use your last breath for?  Will it be for you, or someone else?  I choose to use mine for someone else.  I believe Nathan Farley does too.

♫♪  “History Maker” by Deliriou5  contributed to the composition of this blog.

♫♪ Who Did They Think He Was – The Sequel (One more for Daniel DiNardi) ♫♪

He was not an athlete, nor was he a professional singer or actor.  We look up to those types of people, though.  For whatever reason, we aspire to be so much like the ones we see on iTunes or on Netflix.  We’re never sure why, but there is just something about being famous and popular.

He was not a doctor, nor was he a lawyer.  He didn’t have the professional prestige that these types of people carry.  So often, parents have wishes for their kids to be in one of these careers because they hold the potential to bring riches and wealth.  But still, he was neither of these.

He was not a highly educated scholar, although those are the ones who are mentioned on graduation and in the newspaper.  Those are the ones who are typically the most esteemed by professional educators.  But, he was not in that category, oh no.  In fact, because his grades in junior high were unsatisfactory, he was forced to attend summer school.  That’s where he was on his way home from when he changed the lives of a lot of people… THOUSANDS to be exact.

♫♪ “Hey there now, Where’d you go?
You left me here so unexpected
You changed my life, I hope you know
Cause now I’m lost… So unprotected.

“In a blink of an eye
I never got to say goodbye…” ♫♪

I don’t care what you say, or how humble you try to be… the fact is that you want to leave a legacy when you’re gone.  Everyone does.  You want to be the one who made a difference in everyone’s life.  That’s why some people reach for the stars and enter the entertainment industry,  That’s one of the avenues I personally use as a stand-up comic.  But, after seven years of hitting the stage three nights a week, there are still people who don’t even remember my name.  It could literally take me years to get the notoriety I would like to achieve.  But some people are just ordinary people, and that’s all it took for them to make themselves known.

♫♪ “Like a shooting star
Flyin’ across the room
So fast so far
You were gone too soon
You’re part of me
And I’ll never be
The same here without you
You were gone too soon.

You were always there
And like shining light
On my darkest days
You were there to guide me.

Oh I miss you now
I wish you could see
Just how much your memory
Will always mean to me.

In a blink of an eye
I never got to say goodbye.” ♫♪

 

Who are you?  Who do you want to be?  Ask yourself these questions right now.  Do you want to be just another statistic and just another obituary notice on the internet and the newspaper?  Or, do you want to be the person who makes people tell great stories about you for months, years, and decades to come?  That’s a legacy.  I can tell you the names of actors, athletes, poets, musicians, and people who had 20,000 Twitter followers before they died… and today, they rarely ever cross anyone’s mind.

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I never met the young man whom I am writing about today.  But, when I along with over 200 others sat in church and attended his memorial service, and heard story after story about how he was so loving, and caring, and giving, and hilariously funny… we literally felt like he was right there in the room… smiling with the rest of us.  THAT is a legacy, friends!

♫♪ Shine on! shine on!
To a better place
Shine on! shine on!
Will never be the same

Like a shooting star
Flyin’ across the room
So fast so far
You were gone too soon
You’re part of me
And I’ll never be
The same here without you
You were gone too soon” ♫♪

It’s been three months since that day, and thousands and thousands of prayers were lifted to the heavens for a young man and his family.  A young man who didn’t have to be anyone special, or work too hard to touch someone else’s life.  I wrote three posts about Daniel on this blog.  One just before his departure, one the day of, and the other not long after.  I wanted to write one more because I’ve kept up with the message boards and fan pages that still have posts from those who loved him, and many more that didn’t.  He’s continued to touch so many people.

Decide who you want to be in this life… but think about Daniel DiNardi before making your final decision.  Remember that it takes very little to mean a lot to others.  And remember that the things you do today have the ability to impact others forever.  It can be good, or it can be bad.  Don’t choose the latter.  Be someone who makes a difference, and refuse to settle for anything less.

“Gone Too Soon” by Simple Plan contributed to the composition of this post.