PLEASE SEND YOUR MEMORIES AND THOUGHTS OF DANIEL TO
SHEBUAH@AOL.COM WITH THE TITLE "DANIEL"
LETTERS HE WROTE ME... GnR - Don't Cry Tonight (allow for song upload)
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Written January 10, 2004 by Shebuah Burke
I woke up with that haunting feeling again this morning. The one that settles deep in your stomach and makes you fight back tears, from memories long buried, but not forgotten. In the dream I was moving some where with some people and the place we were at was a wreck. That was odd enough, but the end of the dream is what stabbed right through me. It wasn’t the experience that hurt, but the end of it. Waking up. That’s always the hardest part.
I was standing before someone I loved. There were only the two of us and no one else, in a wooded place that reminded me of the tranquil beauty of Laurel Maryland in autumn. It was quiet, and I could feel his loving gaze radiate through me. His hands rested on my waist, and my arms rested on his. And in one glowing moment, he kissed me. It was warm and sweet, and I could feel a love so strong and pure, a love that drove us over thousands of miles of open country and away from our families to reunite. One
last kiss. Everything about it was perfect, like only dreams can be. It
was as if he was granting me the wish I only pondered painfully after
his death. It’s been almost a year, and I remember the call like it
was yesterday. The song “One Last Kiss” by Tiffany echoed through my mind. It was the only thing that made any sense. Had I finally gotten the closure I prayed for? “One last kiss…even though it’s come to this. I close my eyes and make a wish, Hoping you’ll remember. All this time – all in all I’ve no regrets. The sun still shines the sun still sets, and the heart forgives, the heart forgets…but what will I do now with all this time?" |
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"…Say goodbye to what would be another try. Don’t be sorry if you cry, I’ll be crying too… ...hearts are good for souvenirs and memories are for ever.” |
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"All this time… I hope someday that you will find Something that you left behind – Something I can give you.” I have to find that song. And when I finally give his ashes to the wind, I
will remember. I will remember our one last kiss. ‘Cause hearts are
good for souvenirs, and memories
are forever. I love you, Daniel Noah Brinich... Shebuah |
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THE EMAIL FROM MICHELLE....
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My name is Michelle Nakagawa.
I used to work with Daniel at Bennigan's. Daniel and I were friends and we dated at one point, so I'd like to think I kinda knew Daniel and that we were close.
I first want to say that you are in my prayers during this time of grief. My prayers also go out to Daniel's family in New Orleans as well as his "family" in Maryland. I know that Mike and Simon always viewed Daniel as their brother as he did to them.
I will always remember Daniel as being independent, kind, extremely generous, intelligent, and very loyal. You could always know what he was feeling by looking into his eyes...it was like when you looked into his eyes, he was an open book. He never cared about what others though. I will also never forget those puppy dog eyes he'd give whenever he wanted something. =) Even though Daniel was in my life for a short time, his kindness and love will forever remain a part of me.
I wanted to e-mail sooner to contribute to Daniel's website, but up until now, I haven't been able to form a concrete though on his death. I wanted to pick a few memories of him, but it was difficult because, as I am sure you know, all of them are so precious and special in their own way. However, I picked a few to share in hopes that they will reflect his life. I could only group them in 2 ways: memories of him at Bennigan's and personal ones:
Bennigan's:
** When he first came into Bennigan's, I remember how all the girls ran up to the front of the restaurant to talk about how cute he was...everyone (at least all the girls) were excited to have an attractive guy around the place finally.
** The fake lottery ticket joke he played on another server one night...I believe her name was Lauren.
** Sometimes he would sit in my section after work to "spend time" with me. Whenever he'd sit in my section, he'd always order a dessert and share it, even though he didn't care for sweets, he knew that I had a sweet tooth.
** Every Saturday nite, he'd show up with a KMX energy drink, my favorite for the both of us...not to mention how busy saturday's would be...we would need the energy boost.
** How he'd love to flirt with all the Bennigan's girls. I think he gave the most massages to the girls at Bennigan's...but they were the best ones...=)
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Personal Memories:
** Getting the dog drunk...sorry, I can't explain any more b/c it might incriminate me...=)
** Weekend nights at my house, hanging out with Chris and Michele Holst. We used to do absolutely nothing but just hang out and talk, yet it is one of my fondest memories. This is where I really developed strong bonds of friendships and for the first time, I actually felt like I was at "home" in the 2 years of living in Maryland.
** Shopping for my Halloween costume...especially when we were waiting in line to pay for my skirt. There were these two older Hispanic ladies in front of us and they were constantly staring at us, talking in spanish...little did they know that Daniel is fluent...they basically said that I looked like I was 12 and the I was with a man who looks like he could be my father!! =)
** Our horrible yet memorable trip to Philly
** Ronald's 21st birthday...me, Daniel, Ronald, Oscar, and Carlos celebrated Ronald's birthday and got so intoxicated that we were the only 5 (without excuses) who didn't show up for our mandatory restaurant meeting the next morning.
** We were hanging out in his room one night and he was going to get us some water, but I didn't want him to leave me, even if it was for a minute. So, I climbed on his back and we got water together...what would ordinarily take 30 seconds turned into a 10 minute task.
** The night I blew my tire....I was driving back home from hanging out with Daniel and blew my tire from going around a curve. I walked to the nearest gas station, called Daniel and he went to try to find me because I didn't know which gas station I was at... Daniel went to every single gas station that was from his house to mine, ...then the next day, he drove me to Wal-mart, got me a tire and fixed it...he was truly my knight in shining armor...=)
Thank you for allowing me to share a few memories I have of Daniel. It means a lot to me. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to write back. I know you don't even know me but even if you just wanted someone to talk to, I am here. God bless you and take care. Much love, miche
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Michelle's Favorite Quotes:
"Dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking towards what lies ahead." --Philippians 3:13
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you're never been hurt and dance like you do when nobody's watching." --Satchel Paige
"You must first lose everything before we are free to do anything." --Tyler Durdan, Fightclub
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." --George Carlin
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