D. C. Donahue Books

Be Thankful, smile, be kind, charitable, and enjoy your weekend! Don’t forget to smile, as without anything being said, it is contagious!

The hardest thing, I think, any of us will ever have to do is say goodbye to loved ones. The year we were married, four days before our first child was born, my dad passed and was buried the morning my daughter came into this world. Zoom ahead to April 2003, when my mom passed, while I was representing a Gift of Life event sponsored by Acme Markets in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mom was, in our minds, what we call a saint, and I am sure she has a special place in heaven. We felt her life and story, if nothing else, deserved acknowledgement. So, I wrote and gave her eulogy through many tears at her funeral mass. To this day, it was the single hardest thing I have had to do, or at least I thought so at the time.

When my wife’s father, a WWII tank Sgt. under Gen. Patton, who saw more of the nastier side of humankind, like many, never spoke of the horrors of that war. He had his greatest battle fighting cancer. Over the last few months, my wife, brother-in-law Steve, and I took turns going to doctors’ appointments and hospital visits, tending to him in his apartment and to his needs until hospice took over the last week of his life. He was a big guy who went from weighing 220 lbs. to around 95 lbs.

A little over a month ago in 2023, my wife buried her only brother, whom I have referred to as “my brother from another mother”. He never married but was like a second father to our children and grandchildren. He was a fixture at every family event, birthday dinners, holidays, or just coming over for dinner and a game to spend an evening with us. My wife not long ago finalized his affairs. At the same time, her sister in Virginia did the same for her aunt Mae, who had passed, and our daughter-in-law had to do the same as her father’s executor. She could write an article of her own on this topic; that being said, all three would pass within eight-week period

As hard as that was in July of 2024, after his fight with cancer, we lost my almost Irish twin (15 months apart) brother, Larry. We hung out together, had many of the same friends, started a band together, shared many Holiday meals with our families, and went on many vacations together. To say we were close would be an understatement. Among my six other siblings, we all thought he would be the one who would outlive us all. He had a keen sense of humor and a more compassionate heart than most, fed by his talents in writing, composing music, painting, and excelling at whatever he put his mind to. I might add we lost two brothers-in-law, which left a void in both of our two eldest sisters’ lives and their families.

I guess I should share, in contrast to the above, those things that create the ability to move on, e.g., the birth of children/grandchildren that speak of new life that springs eternal, vacations, birthdays, holidays, family get-togethers, weddings, and all those things we do year-in-and-year-out, celebrating calendar events.

Point to Ponder: Life is full of certainties, such as the moment of birth, which starts us on our journey to death, and that time will move forward with or without you. I recommend, despite life’s mixed bag of emotions, that you move with it. The other certainty is that there is One God in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; whether you believe it or not, He believes in you. In Him all things are possible, and without Him all things are meaningless. Life, like marriage or any serious relationship, will read over time like an EKG. It will have highs and lows, peaks and valleys, but I found that a person’s character is how they respond in those moments. My faith has helped me through the worst of life and only made me stronger. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~On a Happier note! I wrote and published two Philadelphia Holiday stories, which your family and friends will enjoy for years to come. Please consider purchasing the book, e*read, or the Christmas story on Audible. Also, PLEASE don’t forget to write and post a review. Click the link below for a FREE SAMPLE LISTEN – http://www.A-Glimpse-From-Christmas-Past@Audible.com

Amazon Store URL
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FT5W5NZ9

BN Store URL
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-chance-encounter-with-a-most-unusual-acquaintance-d-c-donahue/1148247251?ean=2940184387772

Google Play Store URL
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=kdGLEQAAQBAJ