Daniel's Struggle

Up at the crack of dawn! I woke up thinking that it was 1:30 am. I thought I would answer a few emails and then go back to bed. Answered a few. I answered a few more and then decided out of nowhere, check the time. IT WAS 5:17 am. The day is already off to a raw start. I was happy to see Daniel McCowan and his brother last night! Sending prayers up for Daniel.

This young man has been in a struggle for most of his life. His mother died when he was very young. He and his brother were placed in foster care. The brother got adopted -- Daniel did not. The new family, for whatever reason, decided that the two boys should never see each other again. I ended up with Daniel.

Daniel was one of the first children I ever worked with who had a life-threatening lifelong disease. He wears it well. He is a fighter. The disease is slowly ravishing his body. He spends a lot of time in the hospital. He had the misfortune of being hit by an automobile that fractured his legs. He has had hip or knee replacement surgery. The other one will be done in the near future. His grandfather on his mother's side died a few years back, and his aunt is not in good health.

As we visited last night, as fragile as he is, he is trying to find work to support himself. He cannot even stand for long periods of time, but he wants to and needs to work. Daniels has no stable family, but last night he showed up at my house with his brother Devine. He was all smiles. He could not stop talking. At long last, his brother had come to find him.

Through a big smile, holding back my tears, I watched him talk about his last few episodes in the hospital and how his organs started shutting down, and he had no one to call or let know that this might be his last time to go in or come out. TEARS, big crocodile tears just built up in my eyes, but I remembered that he made it through both because he was sitting in my living room with his brother.

This young man made me feel special. He told me how I had changed his life by showing him love, respect, responsibility and holding him accountable for his actions even with his disease. He had two wishes, and one had just come true -- he wanted his brother to meet me. His other wish is to get the latest Play Station 4 or X-box to play a new game that is coming out. As I watched his face, my hope for him was that he could get that Play Station 4 or X-Box.

I can't dig down in my pocket and buy it for him today because of personal matters. However, I will be working to find the funds to get that Play Station 4. His brother and I agreed that we may be able to get it before he has another episode or crisis between the two of us. Maybe he will have sometimes in between his pain and crisis to play and enjoy it.

LORD, I am feeling so blessed this morning. Sometimes you do not know or accept how blessed you are. We tend to take so much for granted. We look on a person's outside and assume that they are living the good life. Most often, nothing can be further from the truth. CONSTANT PAIN AND SUFFERING IS REAL, and somebody is living that life every day. Praying for my Daniel!

Please lift him up in prayer with me today. His little body looked so racked and full of pain last night, but he found a reason to laugh.

I hope you will too today, for there is much to be thankful for and to laugh about as we continue to walk our own life's journey.

Peace and blessings always.