From Farrell Ann

To Shelia:

It's Farrell; an old student of Danny's (if you don't remember me then see if Aunt Marissa does ;)

So the first time I met you I think I was 16 years old and just excited to meet "Mr. Meyer's Mom" (or "Mama Meyer", as my brother has always known you;)

After talking to you for what couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, so many things about Danny suddenly made so much sense. 

One thing in particular always stood out to me. The day you came to school, one of the students in class asked you a question. For the life of me I can't even remember what that question was, but I'll always remember your answer. You talked about being a parent, and just the little things one learns while raising a child, and said "What's funny is when you first have a baby you think of all the things you'll do to shape the person they'll be, but before Danny was even a year old I saw that sure, I was his mother, but since day one he had his own unique personality. It was my job to raise him, but he really was his own person."

What an important thing for a mother to realize, and even more so for her to embrace.

Your son to this day remains one of (if not THE) best teachers I've ever had. And while I only got to meet you once, it was truly an amazing experience to meet the first person to ever teach him.

I hope you have a fantastic birthday. 

-Farrell