FindDan.orgRemembering Daniel Zamlen

As Saturday approaches we realize more and more about what is really happening. It is beginning to hit all of us. Today a lot of  Dan’s friends all met up here in Virginia to do what we could to help set up and just be together. Tomorrow is going to be a very hard day, I can not even imagine it. I was sitting by the fire today with Chris Ismil who has been so helpful in orchestrating the search for Dan and who is a very wise man. We were discussing about how  this whole funeral should go and all these questions were going through my head and he simply stated this “= tomorrow is our time to celebrate Dan’s life, not to worry about anything else,  that we had all worked hard to find him and did all that we could.”

I started thinking and he was right. I needed some help to put this whole thing in perspective I guess. We need to celebrate all that Dan The Man Zamlen was all about.  I was sitting in the hotel room the other day and found the Bible that was in the desk drawer, I got a few quotes that seemed good and expressed my feelings. Went online and found some quotes as well. I am a person who likes cliches and metaphors for trying to grasp at a complex life issue so I guess here is some inspirational quotes that might help everyone… I know they helped me kind of calm down and go through all my emotions.

He will swallow up death in victory: and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off faces, …
(Isaiah 25:8)

>If we put our faith and trust in God He will wipe away our tears. It is important or seemingly that we have no control over what happens to us and in this lifetime, But through God we can do anything.

Whoever offers praise glorifies me ; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God” Pslam 50:23                                

> Dan conducted himself and lived out the spirit of Christ. He was kind to everyone he met. I know that he is sitting at the right hand of God.

” Life is Pleaseant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.    Issac Asimov

>> I know that there is some peace in knowing that Dan is in heaven looking over us and that he is watching over us. But it is so hard to know that he had so much potential and so much to still do and so many lives to still touch. Dan’s smiling and his nature he had everday will be missed and make our lifes a little less pleasant but Dan is still with us.

To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
–Buddha (B.C.E. 568-488)

>Dan was dilligent and was a hard worker and was very passionate. It would be a great honor to Dan to make sure all he did and all he stood for we act out in our lives. Dan made the world a better place everyday he was alive. Now its our turn to do that and with Dan watching over us we can.

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.
–William Penn

The funeral is at noon in Virginia. If you can’t be here. Please take a moment and pray tomorrow .

God Bless.

This evening we were all sitting in the hotel room. Kind of bummed about this whole situation and missing Dan.
We watched all the slide shows and had about a good hour of just being silent. It was kind of an erie feeling. We started remembering all the goofy stuff and all the good times or things we remember about Dan the man.

All of a sudden a close friends of Dan’s Chad tells us a story and for about a good 15 minutes everyone in the room was just hysterically laughing. It was a great moment. It was weird they always say laughter is the cure to everything. And Last night that long laugh secession is just what we needed.  It was werid how it just felt good and sort of refreshed us and took away something importaint. As Saturday and the funeral and everything gets closer and closer It is harder and harder to grasp how we are going to say goodbye. WE CAN NOT forget to laugh and remember all the goodtimes we had with Dan and cherish them. This is going to be one of the most moving, hard emmotional and life changing expierences for all of us on Saturday.  How do you prepare for something like that?

I dont know how to but I called the smartest people I know. I called my parents and they were trying to comfort me and they said to not think of this saturday as saying goodbye rather saying see you later. I know Dan is looking over all of us right now and i guess that is all the comfort we will find for awhile and that’s good enough for me.

GOD BLESS

Today was a hard day.

It was time for everyone to have a sigh of relief at the cost of  some loss of hope, a pang of regret of what could have been, with the pleasures of memories of Dan “the man” Zamlen.  As I am sitting here late at night still trying to get a handle on all the events that have taken place and all the emotions that been felt over the last 24 hours it is overwhelming.

I would like to consider myself a religious or pretty self-aware person. I was reaching out for someone or something at this late hour to kind of work through my thoughts. I turned to one of things that I learned at a YMCA camp in Mukwanago WI.  It is a bible verse from the Gospel of Luke 2:52, to be exact. One of the questions we have to face soon is how do we move on and try and get back to an appearance at least, of a normal life. If we are students we have finals coming up soon. If you are non-students life is just piling up around you. The other question that is quickly follows is how do we move on but remember Dan and make sure that people never forget him. Going back to Luke 2:52. It is one of my favorite biblical quotes and stories. It is one of the only passages where we see Jesus as a child, like we are. The verse says ” …And Jesus increased in Wisdom and Stature favor with God and Man.”

What does that have to do with anything. I am still not ok or content with my emotins and everything. I do have an idea of how I am going to start working through those questions. How do you get back to a normal life?~ Life will never be quite the same without Dan. But Dan would have wanted us to go back to class do well and stay active and be a positive change in the world around us like he was. As far as how do we commemorate Dan and never for get him. Follow the scripture advice to answer both questions. Show that Dan will never be forgotten by us living up to his high standards that he had for himself as well as making a positive change in the world around us. As far as getting back to a normal life for many it won’t be too hard for many however it will be a long hard journey. As long as we grow everyday in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man we will be making one more step to getting back to a sense of normal as well as living out the ideals Dan would have. One thing that is no constolation for Dan in the flesh is the idea that we all now have our own personal gaurdian angel looking over us. We will be joining you one day soon DAN THE MAN, eh.

God Bless. Please keep Dan and his Family & Friends  in your Prayers

~GS

Today I was contacted by one of my fellow Badger Boys Staters and he was wondering how my school year was going, when I was going to be back home and such. I told him about the situation regarding Dan. He said he was so sorry for all that has happened. He was flabbergasted by the situation and the way authorities and others have acted in this situation, after all that I said has happened since he went missing.

He began asking about what Dan was like and who he was. I mentioned our common thread Boys State. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Boys State, It is a program put on by the American Legion. It is where some of the best high school juniors in a given state come together for one week and simulate their own state and learn about state politics. It is a place where you learn about leadership, poltics, friends and alot about who you are as a person and what you are called to do. It is amazing what you can learn and acomplish with 800 of the best and brightest boys in a state all together for just one week. when we were talking about Dan and his situation I mentioned that he was an Eagle Scout and a fellow boys stater.

At this revelation I begin to think. My friend who had called me, Dan and myself are all Eagle Scouts and Boys staters. I then thought of a few others that showed up to volunteer the past few weeks, that were also Eagle Scouts or former Boy Scouts. One of the people from Virgina that has been helping out alot was also a boys stater and went to Boys Nation to represent the state of Minnesota. I took a second and said wow. We all in our own ways came to answer the call to help in the cause just as Dan would have. It is amazing how sometimes being leaders and helping out feels like you are alone in what you beleive and what you feel you are called to do, but it is a misperception. Dan was full of Charchter and then people that have come out to help find him are of the same caliber of people. You are judged by the company you keep, and Dan kept good company.

We have alot of the same values and morals within us and all answered the call to help. The Boy Scout motto is ” Do a Good Turn Daily” And that’s what we must all do everyday. One good thing to help find Dan and bring him home. Even if it that is just saying a prayer everyday for Dan. The scout law states that a scout is: Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,courteous, kind, obident, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and revrent. Dan was a perfect example of someone who lived out the scout Law in his daily life and interactions with other people. 

One last thing. The scout oath starts with ” On my Honor I will do my Best” And all of us need to do that now. Do our best to find Dan, becasue I know deep down in my heart that is what Dan would have done for any of us, his best.  

~GS

http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S902752.shtml?cat=11215

~Sally Zamlen goes out on TV to tell us more about Dan.

As the search begins to drain on the family friends and all the numerous volunteers. We need to dig up within inside ourselves to say one more prayer for him, come and go to that one business you know that doesnt have a sign up in the window to donate some time money or energy to the cause.