Daniel lives outside the bounds of what is normal or expected of human beings. He learned guitar in a week. Piano in two. I used to love laying at his feet and just listening to him make up songs for hours.
But music’s not his focus.
When my father was taking a photography class and saw some of the photos Daniel took by fooling around with the camera, my dad almost dropped the class, stating that there is talent in the world that can’t be contested with.
But he doesn’t take many photos.
He can cook (and digest a wide range of...objects), sew, build a house, drive a motorcycle, perform a stand-up routine that drives people crazy with laughter, and give hugs that change your body chemistry. His hands are healers.
His hands, I think, are his forte.
He has received more free trips, food, lodging and who knows what by just *being* in the world- he inspires people to give.
And live, life in the moment and to the fullest. His emails consist of phrases like “yesterday I was walking and found a huge piece of Styrofoam. So of course I made a boat out of it… I found a plastic lawn chair and used a long piece of bamboo as an ore. I floated down the river for quite a ways and returned to shore in fear that one of the barges would run me over” and “I was walking around in mud boots in the middle of a field with my laptop in hand trying to get a signal.”
Yes, of course you were. You’re Daniel.
His life is centered around the love of Christ and he is the fullest example of Christianity I’ve ever met. He doesn’t judge- he just loves… people who steal from him, the bus driver, his closest friends, his family, prisoners, the homeless, the wealthy, his employees, his clients and on and on. And he gives endlessly. It always comes back to him.
Our connection is inexplicable in scientific terms… or maybe any other terms. I’ll be surprised if I don’t hear from him today after thinking so intently writing this. That’s just something we know about each other. Our love is one free of complication or baggage- it just is. And it’s expressed at every possible opportunity. After 10 years of friendship, we’ve come to just accept our mutual adoration and gain energy from that in our lives.
Many people have told Daniel that he needs to write a book. I just want to paste a couple of his stories here, to know they were put out in the world somewhere. I hope someone does a documentary on Daniel, to show the possibilities of a life lived to the fullest, a mind and heart that goes beyond what anyone would expect of a human in the Dallas suburbs… or anywhere. Daniel, the word "grateful" doesn't describe how I feel having you in my life. "Blessed" is perhaps a little closer. Love, always.
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