Danielle had two close male friends named Bob and Lumpy.  They were always by her side, and helped me by keeping an eye on crowd control.  Bob and Lumpy were the kind of friends that Danielle seemed to attract.  They loved to party, but they felt a responsibility to protect Danielle.  Many of her friends were a reflection of herself.  They flat out loved her.  Most of them, now, think of her as their personal Guardian Angel.

Danielle spent the fall of 1994 working on her music, rehearsing for a play that was scheduled for the Christmas season and seeing a new boyfriend named Brad.  I didn’t realize until much later that Danielle really cared for Brad.  He was hard for me to get to know.  Every time I saw him, he had a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, and he never spoke.  But, Brad and Danielle saw a lot of each other, and she would continually tell me that I would like him if I got to know him.  She was right.

Brad was actually the inspiration for what many of us feel was her best song, “The Answer”.  The lyrics are on her gravestone.  She wrote the song after she and Brad split up.  She was lonely and hurt, but made the realization that God would always be with her.  Now that song helps many of us live with the hurt of losing her.

One of the most inspiring performances of Danielle’s life, maybe the most inspiring, in my estimation, was as “Clarece”, the angel, in the Hartland High School winter play, the classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life”.  As everyone knows, who has seen the movie, the angel is actually an older man named “Clarence”.  But, Danielle’s audition was so incredible, that the director actually changed the name of a character, to accommodate using her.  We found out why, when we went to see the play.

Danielle, as always, was the character, and not herself.  I applaud the work of the director, and whoever was in charge of make-up and costumes, because she actually had a heavenly glow.  She wasn’t just some 17-year-old girl with a white robe on.  She was vibrant.  I remember being totally stunned.  She was so beautiful, and she seemed to have that “all knowing” look of an angel.  I sometimes wonder if God wasn’t giving us a preliminary look into the future.  That was every bit the Danielle that I hope to see again in Heaven.  And, then, she spoke--------.Never, had I heard a voice like that!  Never before in her life had I ever heard her use that voice.  No matter how I would describe it, I couldn’t do it justice.  Clarece sounded like a very young girl and a very old lady at the same time.  And, she did it so naturally.  Her look and the sound of her voice still send a chill down my spine, as I recall her performance.

Once again, as happened so many times, I found myself in a theatre, watching an actress perform, but not seeing the acting.  She WAS Clarece!  I only wish she could come down to visit with me the way she did with George (in the play).  I know that Danielle got her wings!

Back at the old farmhouse, that we lived in, things were pretty spooky.  We all heard sounds, saw shadows and felt the presence of something.  What or who, we didn’t know.

***

“How could you do this to me, Daddy, I’m never going to make it now.  You are going to have to carry me!”  I said, “OK, but who is going to carry me?”

We continued on, and got back on the path.  Then, it happened!  While Danielle was singing, and I was focussed on her, I stepped on, what I thought was a twig, until I looked.  It was a snake!  Probably the only snake along that four-mile path, and I stepped on him, just like Danielle said I would!  I had the shivers for ten minutes, and she almost peed her pants, laughing so hard.

As we descended down the last hill on the route, Danielle became very concerned about her footing.  It was the steepest hill of all.  She was afraid that holding onto my arm wouldn’t be enough.  She asked me to face her.  She grabbed my shoulders, so that I was actually walking backwards down the hill.  I’m sure it looked ridiculous, but it worked!  I remember looking into her eyes, during those moments, and seeing my “little” girl.

After we completed the walk, I don’t think I had ever seen her so tired----..or happy.  That moment will remain frozen in my mind forever.

A pause for reflection:

Some may wonder how I could write this book with all the pain that it must bring.  I won’t deny the pain.  Many of the pages of this book were written with tears flowing.  It takes very little for my eyes to well up when I think of Danielle; a song that reminds me of her, a movie that involves the death of a loved one, a cute little animal, a smiley face, a grandchild that does something that she used to do, any young blond with pigtails, the sadness of someone else who mourns for her, babies, angels, a beautiful day, cows, Orchard Church, Central Michigan University, Macomb, Petoskey------.. I just realized that there are too many to list.

Paula and I would, both, tell you that losing a child is the worst thing that could possibly happen to anyone.  We would, each, have rather died ourselves, or lost each other.  We would rather have a disabling disease.  NOTHING sounds, or could feel, as bad as losing Danielle and Scarlett.

But, there is something positive inside me (Danielle had it also), that says tell Danielle’s story, so that others may understand that life is not money, ego or winning.  Life is love.  Life is accepting what God has given you, no matter what the pitfalls.  Once you learn to love others (no matter what race, creed or origin), and roll with the punches that life dishes out, then, you will know TRUE happiness.  Danielle knew this, and that is her message.  She would also tell you to smile!