A Father's Faith Tested
When you see this call me
It’s important
Dans in the hospital
Please pray
These are the texts that woke me shortly after midnight on the morning of February 23rd.
My daughter, Brenna, and her husband, Dan, had spent an unusually warm late February day enjoying time with each other. It had been a stressful work week for both, and they decided to take a drive to my daughter’s “happy place,” the Jersey Shore. I was attending a Catholic men’s conference in Middletown, New Jersey, and my daughter messaged me a few times letting me know what a wonderful day they were having.
Later in the day they arrived back home with the intent of settling in for an evening spent on the couch, enjoying a movie together. But they were restless. It had been such a special day. They didn’t want it to end.
They got back in the car and drove to one of their favorite restaurants. No better way to end a great day than with a great meal.
While they ate, they noticed a man walk in who just seemed “off.” My son-in-law commented that they should “keep an eye on him.” The man harassed a few patrons, and, at one point, tried to step behind the bar. Eventually it seemed as though the man had grown tired of his own antics and began to make his way to the door. Everyone could relax.
But just as quickly as the man left their sight, he was back, lunging at Brenna’s husband, fist raised in the air, clutching a knife. He plunged the blade deep into the center of Dan’s back, immediately severing his spine. My daughter leapt out of her seat, fell to the ground and wrapped her arms around the man she loved.
