Dan was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), last august. He has taught music at my college for the past 18 years, and was given about a year to live. A video was shown as an introduction, telling about his life and story. The strong and vibrant man in the clip was a stark contrast to the one in the wheelchair on stage, who couldn't even hold up his head. He was joined by his newlywed wife, a beautiful and amazing woman who lets God be her strength and write her story.
Dan started off by telling us we're all dying, it's just a matter of when, after a relatively dry joke about rattlesnake bites in the butt. That's when we all started to lose it. I wanted to write down every word he said, because i knew writing it down later wouldn't give it justice. But I'm going to try to recall the parts that stood out to me the strongest.
The story of him and his wife stood out to me. They had been dating a while when the ALS diagnosis came. That same day, they went out to dinner and started planning their wedding and his funeral at the same time. How a couple could do that is beyond me, but their sense of humor far surpassed anything I could imagine. She loves him and takes care of him, and trusts in God for her strength. They have an orphanage in Rowanda that they crusade for, and have continued to do so throughout the worsening illness.
Dan spoke about planning his funeral, which will take place in the Greek and will be catered by Phil's Barbeque. We're all invited. He also said, when asked by a 16 year old kid about being scared about going hell, that hell to him would be being stuck in the parking lot of Criket Stadium after a Rascal Flatts concert. He's doubted his commitment to God, but that he's never doubted God's commitment to him.
He said he regrets a lot of things, but the things he cherishes most as a dying man is the relationships in his life. He hopes he gets to travel the world when he's dead, and also offered some good advice about meeting people in heaven. What if you meet someone you hated? Don't hate. What if you meet someone you cheated? Don't cheat. What if you meet someone you made fun of? Don't make fun.
Every word he said was incredible. His joy and humor were inspiring. My film maker friend Jared has been meeting with him for an hour a week for several years now, and filming all of it. I asked him what he's going to do with all the footage. And he responded "hopefully make the best documentary of all times."
I think it will be.
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