Written on Thursday, three years since Danny's accident; sent out on
Friday, two months since his passing...
Dear family and friends,
Danny's "accident" occurred in the early morning hours of July 17,
2005, three years ago today. The three years now seem like a dream.
When we remember Danny, it's usually pre-injury: playing his guitar;
sitting on the couch with a bowl of chips and salsa; constantly on the
phone to his friends making plans for the evening; smiling, almost
always smiling.
The August programs for Danny on the east coast are coming together:
August 9th, 2-5 pm, in the hall of
The First Baptist Church
461 Main Street
New London, NH 03257
August 16th, 2-5 pm, at
The Myrtle Beach Shrine Club,
1390 Oakmont Court
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Both programs are open to one and all, and will feature lots of good
music and the great slide show of Danny's life that Andy put together.
Dress is casual for both events.
I've been overwhelmed by the number of friends from high school,
college and our Meher Baba family who plan to attend.
In New Hampshire, there are still some spots available at a Bed &
Breakfast nearby. For information, contact my mother, Yah Maguire, at
603-526-4577. Lynn and I will arrive in New Hampshire on August 1st
and can be reached at my mom's or on my cell at 310-490-8991.
Lynn asked me to thank everyone again for all the beautiful flowers
and love-filled cards which have continued to come to us for two
months now.
We're also grateful to those of you who donated to charities in
Danny's name. And since so many people have written to ask if there is
a particular cause they could donate to, I'll tell you about two
extraordinary nonprofit organizations that mean a lot to us.
One, called "Pumpkin House", is an orphanage located near the school
established by Meher Baba in western India. In a country where every
day thousands of children lose their parents, there is an urgent need
to provide shelter, meals, medical care and education until if-and-
when adoptive families are found. The inspiration for this project is
Meher Baba's example of selfless service to humanity. The home is
operated by an independent trust, with respect for the faith
traditions of all residents. Photos and information can be found at http://www.pumpkinhouse.org
They are setting up a fund in Danny's name and since Pumpkin House USA
has 501(c)(3) status in the U.S., all donations are tax-deductible. If
you want to donate, please send checks (with Danny's name on the memo
line) to:
Pumpkin House USA
437 Oak Tree Square
Athens, GA 30606
When Lynn and I get over to India again we'll bring a photo of Danny
to place in the house so the kids can share his smile.
If you'd rather donate closer to home, our longtime friends at
Transitions Foundation do tremendous work, providing housing, training
and equipment for disabled kids throughout Guatemala. For more
information go to: http://www.transitionsfoundation.com or send
checks to:
Transitions
A-146 P.O. Box 669004
Miami Springs, FL 33266
It would be great if all the love that Danny has generated these past
three years manifested to help kids around the world.
Several people have told us they've had dreams about Danny. Dreams
which find him in good spirits, his smile and sense of humor intact.
I'm kind of envious since I haven't had any such dreams, maybe because
I think about him so much in my waking hours.
As I wrote to a friend, sometimes we miss Danny so much it hurts,
other times I experience so certain a sense of him being happy in
God’s love that peace descends on me in ways I could not have imagined.
It strikes me that if I'm patient and watch out for signs of that
love, I will find myself surrounded by it. For example, the past week
has been full of such moments:
On Monday we put our dear friend Bhau Kalchuri on a plane back to
India after a wonderful visit made even more poignant by the fact that
Bhau, now 82 and unable to get around well, used Danny's wheelchair
and wheelchair van for transportation, and slept in Danny's hospital
bed so he wouldn't have to tackle our stairs. Bhau spoke often and
very lovingly of the deep connection he felt with his "Saint Danny".
On Tuesday night, we went to a BBQ at Bob and Sheila Halcombs', where
Danny had been hanging out the night of the accident before setting
out on his bicycle. Many of the same friends he was with that night
gathered with us to enjoy great great food, company and lots of music
made by everyone on hand, including me on my long dormant penny
whistle. Good craic.
The next morning, Wednesday, I went to the beach with a bunch of
Danny's pals who help staff the Jimmy Miller Foundation, donating a
big chunk of their free time each summer to do "surf therapy" with
inner-city kids, as well as veterans at the Camp Pendleton Marine base
who suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Ten kids from the Hollygrove Orphanage, where a young Marilyn Monroe
once resided, beamed as they put on wetsuits for the first time and,
despite many tumbles, learned to ride their boards, many of them
eventually standing up. I was really proud of the guys and kept
thinking of Meher Baba's quote, "Real happiness lies in making others
happy."
Wednesday night, our friend Mehera Blum invited Lynn, Katie and me to
attend a private concert by the Who at a downtown L.A. theater. The
band's guitarist and songwriter, Pete Townshend, is a longtime
disciple of Meher Baba's who had sent Danny a signed photo shortly
after the accident. Many of Pete's songs are written for or about
Baba, and when Roger Daltry sang "See Me, feel me, touch me, heal
me..." from "Tommy", I remembered how that had been one of the first
songs little Danny ever played in public when he was 12. Given the
past three years, the lyrics were fraught with new meanings for me,
drawing me closer to Danny and Baba.
Lynn, Katie and I were joined at midnight by Misti as we held hands
and said prayers over Danny's bed.
I keep thinking of Danny's lyrics from 2003:
"One day I awoke from this dream, only to find the reality.
By a bash to the head I was deemed,
to the truth and it's so enlightening.
I'm alive now, yeah I can breathe now.
I'm so awake now."
While Danny may have been destined to pass through the past three
years in order to "awake from the dream" and "find the reality", I'm
grateful that his first twenty years found him well-loved by the best
family imaginable (on both coasts) and loyal fun-loving friends; and
that he had the ability to express himself through his music. He had a
blessed life, and he blessed all of us who got to live it with him.
With love and gratitude,
Jeff
Attached is a school photo from 6th grade and a picture taken at a
wedding on Meher Mount in Ojai, CA.
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