I lived in 3 different households with 3 different families exposed to 3 different outlooks.

On North Avenue, in my first and last childhood home. Grandma blessed me with acceptance, compassion, encouragement, and direction.

In my second home, I took on a bigger world, with new challenges, adventure, struggle and growth.

I got to know my Dad, in that year and a half we lived on Mineral Street, where I survived the elements.

In my third household, we moved out of the inner-city to the suburban edge of the Milwaukee city limits.

While my world was expanding beyond the reach of city buses, my perspective was narrowing. my vision was diminishing and my outlook was changing.

I felt unloved, sometimes unlovable, often unworthy. In an asocial environment, social advise and guidance was difficult to find at home.

I made more mistakes.
I was loosing direction.
I lost my way.

Then an angel appeared. (True story folks)

She was beautiful in every way.
Every time she appeared, she expressed Love and Joy.

I felt unworthy of such happiness, and pushed her away.

Years later, I caught a very bright glow. My inner voice instantly asked if this was an angel.

It was HER... in another place.
I wanted to explain myself, but in the public social circumstance I was in at the time, I did not approach.

I will never forget how brightly she glowed.

Decades later, I received a last chance to ask for forgiveness and make amends which I did... in a song I wrote to explain.

I received her forgiveness and an unexpected compliment. Then I remembered... she always empowered first.

This time was no exception. I received an ever greater gift, an epiphany!

This awakening opened my eyes, my heart and a connection beyond my five senses. I had tapped into something greater than myself.

I experienced my own Divinity!

Then information started streaming through me like a celestial download, that angel, those encounters, Life, the Universe and the answer to every question I asked.

It was very clear.

I understood what was real

I received so much information in that experience, and in the months that followed. Faith seemed like I no longer felt a need for faith. I 

I longer have to rely on understanding or faith. I received ample knowledge 

I call this event my Christmas Gift of 1994.

I share this whole story, in my one hour keynote performance.

T

I was 

In my third household, I lived in a family with a narrow, perspective, asocial tendencies, and bias against others who are different.

I was also receiving ongoing training in a 3rd Christian denomination that denounced other denominations more fervently than they did.

At age 9 thru 13, children are developing social skill and learning to adapt in society. I was concerned if I had landed on the right religion, or was I going to hell.

Trying not to displease God in the way I was more recently taught, was leading to more mistakes.

One day an angel appeared.
I knew she was there to save me.
She even sent others, to check me out.

I must have qualified.
She appeared again and again after that.
And she was always wonderful to me.

However SHE did not belong to my church and I had been warned about fallen angels and the like.

For that reason and other misguided reasons, I did the wrong thing.

I pushed her away.
I broke a heart.
I lost my way.

Soon I would be heading in another direction.

Years later she appeared again.
I was given a chance to apologize.

I wrote a song to explain and confess.
Once again, I was blessed by that angel.

Weeks later, I experienced an epiphany, an awakening that changed me and my world.

You will hear how I got there.
You will hear how got out of that pit.

____________________________________________

I had lost direction.
I did the wrong thing.
I broke a heart.

An angel appeared again and again.
I knew she was there to save me.

But church had warned me

I met an angel who appeared 

 and who I should avoid, 

I made more mistakes.
I lost direction.

I did the wrong thing.

I broke a heart.

Add a history of training in 3 different church denominations, each denouncing the other as trapdoors into damnation, you have a child who was confused

 and you have a child developing  

And warning us not to associate with them.

Each of the 3 churches I attended, spoke against other denominations. We were told to avoid those of other denominations, so as not to fall into damnation.

It was not easy 

as if they trapdoors to damnation. We were told to avoid those of other denominations.

I could only hope that I landed on the right one. 

Learning th

That is the same age range when children typically learn how to adapt socially in society. In this area, advice was hard to find at home.

Like the disagreement between the 3 churches I attended during childhood. Each claimed an excusive path to salvation that excludes the others.

Had I landed on the right path?

I will have more time, to share details, in my one hour keynote concerts.

 judgement and injustice.

A child typically develops social skills from age 9-13. 

During that period of my life, I lived in a household with asocial tendencies, that seemed to lean toward antisocial and reactive.

It was hard to find social advise at home.

Good advise was hard to find. 

In ways I became confused and forgot which way is up. 

I made my biggest mistakes while living in that household.

The biggest mistake was pushing away Love.

Because I felt too damaged for someone so wonderful.

I developed habits to withhold, react, withdraw or attack. 

Sister was shy and withdraw, brother was mostly away working. He didn't have a girlfriend back then. 

My 3 younger cousins, were well below the age of dispensing advice on girls.

So when a beautiful girl 

 (ages 9 thru 13), I lived in a

that period of home life offered little in social advice.

In that household, spontaneous reactions emerged either to  

Withholding react, withdraw or engage

I developed ways to avoid or withstand spontaneous emotional abuse. 

I learned how to react, and withhold and withdraw.

During that time, I made what I considered to be my biggest mistake. I broke a heart.

The consequences were life altering. 

This person had given me ONLY Love. But I had lost trust in Love and did the wrong thing.

Before I could work out of my issues of guilt, self doubt and fear of potential embarrassment and rejection, I moved miles away.

The abrupt nature of the move, stripped me of my personal belongings, and moved me from the suburbs to the inner city.

At any material cost, I was happy to be home, even if the media referred to home as the "ghetto".

But a new question appeared. Did I have anything to offer to the girl I pushed away?

Besides a sense of guilt and unworthiness. My material wealth was at best, potential.

Distance made it easier to postpone my confession and apology until I worked on myself. In the meantime I directed my attention elsewhere.

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. I left the state to join the service.

In addition to my question of worthiness, this raised a new concern: Did I have anything to offer? 

Beside potential

While I was happy with the move at any material cost, the increase in distance 

proximity to the suburban neighborhood where I once lived.

First I moved to a county orphanage, then to my original neighborhood in the inner city, referred to by media as the "ghetto".

The abrupt move, stripped me of my personal effects, and proximity to my old suburban neighborhood. 

Have you ever done that?

Procrastinate because you didn't believe it was possible, or you didn't think, or you weren't enough.

Have you ever done that?
Or is it just me?

I perceived as perfection. 

as the "ghetto", by every media, and people I knew. 

The process of that move stripped me of all personal effect, except clothing

Before I was able to raise the 

From age 9 through 13, I was exposed to a philosophy hovering closely to contempt for society and others.

Age 9 - 13 is also the period referred to as the "Socialization Period", the period when children learn to adapt in society.

I could not agree with many of the societal views rendered at home, so it was difficult to find good advise regarding social situations, opposite sex, etc. 

Living in that reactive environment kept me on guard. I did not want to trigger guilt.

Guilt and confusion were already implanted by 3 different churches, where each claiming the exclusive to salvation. Seemed I had at best, a 1 in 3 chance of getting this right.

I didn't even know WHICH way to feel guilty. 

- from TV and movies, 

- wayward jokes 

- stories from friends,

- songs with insightful lyrics, 

- wherever I could.

The consequences were life altering.

As a shy 12 year old boy, I had promised myself that I would explain my feelings in a song.

I just had to:

- learn how to play the guitar

- lean how to write a song

- regain communication after moving out of the neighborhood, then out of state.

Decades later, I was presented with a final chance to explain, to apologize, and to make amends.

So I wrote that song I promised to write for her one day.

I dug deep, I was searching for the pain, I was seeking bottom.

Then I got stuck... at the bottom.

There is not enough time in this short talk to share the many details of this amazing story.

With a single prayer, I experienced an epiphany, a connection with Divinity, not just an understanding, but a knowingness obtained by the experience.

That experienced flipped my World right side up.

I felt like I was waking on air.

The world was responding with raises, job offers, and opportunities. It become rare NOT to see a smile on a stranger's face.

Out of the blue, random strangers would ask to join me, invite me to lunch, dinner, parties and other functions.

When I asked a question from Higher Power, I was amazed at how quickly I received answers to each request, often within the same day.

The longest I recall waiting for any response was a week. 

And the amazing events and the synchronicities that followed, simply blew my mind.

Shortly after my epiphany, I thought about an former coworker and friend, Rod Santiago. 

I had just returned from an amazing business trip to his home country and I wanted to tell Rod all about it.

This would seem unlikely, however. Because both Rod and I left that company. And Rod moved across the country to the East Coast somewhere. 

I wished I had a chance to share that story with him.

A week later, I was sent across the country, on a business trip to New York.

As I made my way through the bustling crowd just blocks from Times Square, I heard my name.

"Dan!"

It was my former co-worker and friend Rod Santiago, calling to me. So I was able to share that adventure with that old friend.

This was only one of many synchronicities, I received.

During this time, I was also received a continual stream of information and knowledge.

Literally, in two songs, I created a personal old testament and personal new testament.

I share this story in my full keynote concert, because I would like you to have this same experience as well.

If everyone could experience an awakening like that, our whole World would experience enlightenment at a whole new level.

I even have the roadmap illustrating the path I took.

How did I find this roadmap?
How did I arrive at that miraculous breakthrough?
Which direction should I go?

When I saw the map, the answer became obvious.
Head in the direction of "North".

I explain all this in my Keynote Concert. So please be sure write to write your name and email on the form that is being passed around.

In addition to my Keynote Concerts, I also offer a live Master Class where I share a much larger map, that guides you to even greater levels of understanding.

So before you leave, please be sure to enter your name on the form being passed around.

If you enter your contact information in our system within the next 10 minutes, you will also be entered into a drawing for a mini-vacation of your choice.

Have a wonderful day. I hope to see you on in the Master Class. 

 from ages 9 - 13, it was difficult to find useful social advise. 

the period children typically develop social skills

referred to as the socialization

It was easier to pick up 

a period children usually learn socialization skills, between ages 9 - 13

I made my biggest mistakes 

It this household if was difficult to find useful advice for 

I had learned Christianity from three different denominations.

- Each church claimed exclusive access to salvation, with dire consequences otherwise.

- So it seemed, I had a 1 in 3 chance of salvation, assuming any of these 3 were the correct choice.

Sometimes I felt sorry for my aunt. I wondered what had happened in her life that led to such reactions.

I guessed her childhood was at least as harsh as her lectures, reprimands and outlook.

- I had lived in 3 different households,  experiencing 3 different families

- So I had some sense of what works, and what  doesn't work.

- Avoiding triggers seemed like the best strategy  for avoiding reactions.

- Avoiding reactions seemed like the best strategy  for avoiding triggers.