Tribute to my brother +Dan who died on September 23rd (in his own words)

My beloved brother and friend died on September 23rd 2018 of a massive stroke. He had never intended these words to be his own last tribute; but, to me, they describe his brilliant personality. I share them with you and will miss him forever. Here are his own words written in a letter to his former parishioners and now intended for us: 
                 "To all my friends near and far, greetings:
           "I was a stranger and you welcome me." (Mt. 25, 35)
            As I enter this new phase of my life; I would like to thank you for all your kindness, spiritual, moral and material support of my pastoral ministry in the last three decades here in the Diocese of Fargo. It is greatly appreciated. There is no denying that the last ten months have been difficult for me both medically and spiritually. Sometimes we have plans for our own future and life challenges us with other options. We never plan to get sick; but, we do. In situations like this, I recall the advice of my former boss and mentor, Father John Kalenberg, a drill sergeant during World War II "You deal with it!" How do we "deal with it?" depends, of course, on our particular circumstances in life. In my case, I pray I may be at peace with myself and the world around me, facing up to everything that may come, with courage and determination, always trusting God's love and mercy.
             No matter how hard we try to figure things out; at the end of the day, I have to agree with Pope Saint John-Paul II: "We got to put it in God's hands." So, my advice to all of us: "Cheer up and keep on going!" I believe that, in spite of everything, there is enough kindness, goodness, generosity and compassion on this little planet of ours. 
               I am profoundly thankful for the privilege of living in a free country and even more grateful for people like yourselves who made all the difference. It has been an honor to serve you.
               God bless us, everyone,
               With love and prayers, 
               Your brother in Christ,
                      Daniel M."