Announcing the arrival of our first-ever grandchild, I give you: Noah Christian Hammond Noah is the son of Joshua and Christina Hammond, and the grandson of Dion and Cynde Hammond, all from Upstate New York. He was born at 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, 02 May 2009, in the Geneva General Hospital. Noah weighed 7 lbs. 9 ozs. and was 20 inches long, with a head full of curly, medium-dark brown hair.When Dion and I visited Josh and Chrissy at the hospital, Noah was in the room, snuggled in Mommy's arms. I was so overwhelmed with feelings of love for him that tears immediately filled my eyes. He definitely looks like a "Hammond," that's for sure; he's the spitting image of Josh, and he also looks just like Josh did when he was a baby. He looks like a perfect cross between Josh and Chrissy, too, which is great because they are both extremely good-looking kids. Noah looks like Dion, too, because Josh looks like Dion (his Dad) so I'm happy as can be!
This has been, without a doubt, one of the best days of my entire life! I feel so thankful and blessed by the Lord. I am thankful that Noah is well and that everything is alright with Chrissy. I do feel bad that she had to have a cesarean section (C-section) delivery, but I thank the Lord that He watched over her throughout it, and that she's going to be fine.
I'll be posting more photos as I get them, and I'll probably bore you to tears with stories about my new little guy, but I promise you...the stories will all be filled with love!
Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.
Cynde
- Location:at home
- Mood:
ecstatic - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
Have you ever heard the phrase, "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words?" Well, I certainly think that the photo to the left, of our son, Joshua, embracing his new bride, Christina, at their marriage ceremony Saturday, qualifies as one of the pictures that are worth a thousand words, don't you agree? He looks as if he may be thinking, "She's mine now...we can do whatever we want!" On Saturday, the eleventh day of April in the year of our Lord 2009, at 1:00 p.m., Miss Christina Scowcroft was joined in Holy Matrimony to Joshua James Hammond.
The attendees that were present to witness the blessed event, which took place at the town of Junius Court House in the State of New York, are pictured above. In addition to Judge Brian Laird, who presided over the event, from left to right they are: Chrissy's father; Chrissy's mother; Cynde (me, Josh & Jon's stepmother--but I love them as if they were my own and I hate that word step in front of mother!); Dion (my husband, Josh & Jon's father); Chrissy; Josh & Jon's grandmother (back row, Dion's mother); Josh; Jon (our other son); and Josh's mother (Dion's "ex," also Jon's mother.)
Needless to say, Dion and I are very happy that Josh and Chrissy decided to get married before little Noah makes his entrance into the world, as there isn't much time left to spare: he's due on the 18th of April! It's all in the Lord's perfect timing, right?
Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.
Cynde
- Location:at home
- Mood: ecstatic
- Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
Dion, Jon and I had a wonderful Christmas this year (except for the fact that this was our first year without Josh.) First we went to Dion's mom's, where we had appetizers and visited with Dion's brother and sister and their spouses and the nieces and nephew of the bunch. After that, we had a nice lasagna dinner with lots of other entrees; it was a fabulous feast that ended with oodles of homemade Christmas goodies. There were all kinds of peanut-butter balls; chocolate-covered pretzels; light and dark "trash" (a mixture of nuts, pretzels, M&M's, and cereal covered with either white or dark, melted chocolate--yummy!); and all kinds of cookies! You name it--it was there. Most of it was made by Dion's brother's wife, Cheryl, and we got to take a huge bag of it home, which made Dion happy, because I'm not able to do much baking due to the problem with my hands.
While we were eating, we all caught up on the latest news of each others' families and Dion passed around some photos that Josh had just given him of himself and Chrissy together so that they all could see what Chrissy looked like. Everyone was very impressed by how cute Josh and Chrissy looked together and how pretty she is. I was so relieved that I had just gotten to meet her, even though it was just for a minute. She seemed very sweet and I'm looking so forward to getting to know her better, even though I'm nervous about it. (that's what I get for being shy, huh?)
Following dinner, we opened all our packages. Donna (Dion's sister) and Cheryl passed them out and Bob (Donna's husband) was taking pictures while we opened them. I feel bad every year when it's time to open the gifts. Dion's brother and sister always give us some little gift, but we just don't have the funds to give anything to them--especially this year, after Dion missed three months of work! I think they understand, though. There's nothing I love more than giving, but when you owe money to people, you can't put them off to buy gifts for others, IMHO. Someday...I'll get all caught up and then I'll buy, buy, buy! (not really! LOL!) I won't go hog-wild, but I will enjoy being able to give again!
The next order of business was to take family photos. They really have it down to a science where they do it by family, and at least two different people are taking a set of the same photos on two different cameras, so they have backups, just in case something happens with one of the cameras.
They took a set of the grandchildren together: Jennifer, Dara, Matthew and Jon. (I really missed Josh, Dana and Katey!) Then they added Gramma (Dion's mom, Barb) and her dog, Max. Those will be adorable photos and I can't wait to see them!
Next, we took the group family photos. They did the photos of Daren, Cheryl and Dara as a family, then with Gramma and Max, then Daren and Cheryl as a couple, then a couple of Dara and Jennifer together.
The next group were the Harts, which were Donna, Bob, Jennifer and Matthew. Then they added Gramma and Max, then Donna and Bob as a couple, then they did a couple of Jennifer and Matthew together.
Then it was our turn. Dion, Jon and me, then we added Gramma and Max. We had already been seated when I remembered that we didn't get our "couple" photo, so Dion said that we'd have Jon take it of us later on when we were at Mom's, but it never happened--we got so busy that we forgot it. It felt strange not having Josh there, but maybe next year we'll have Chrissy and the baby and Josh with us. Wouldn't that be awesome?
We hated to leave everyone, but we were also very excited to go to my mom's house and see my side of the family for Christmas next,(we don't usually get to do that) so that's just what we did. When we arrived at Mom's, we were just in time to pack up leftovers to bring home with us. After I said "hello" to everybody, I sent Dion and Jon in to visit with the folks and I got busy packing so that I would have time to visit, too.
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- Location:at home
- Mood:
cheerful - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
My answer to this question is a resounding yes, but probably not for the reason you think.
When our ancestors wrote the United Stated States Constitution, they tried to think of every conceivable thing that may happen in the future, based on what they knew to be true at that moment. In good faith, they drafted what is known to us as The Bill of Rights or the Amendments, of which there are now a total of twenty-seven (27).
In the First Amendment, it states the following:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
There have been many disagreements as to the meaning of this particular amendment, but to me, the meaning is crystal clear. Our Country was founded on biblical principles, by Christian men who crossed the ocean in order to preserve that religious freedom, not remove it from their lives! It is well-documented that they prayed together before each meeting and asked the Lord for guidance when deciding what the wording would be for the Constitution. James Madison, who was the chief framer of the United States Constitution said:
"We have staked the whole future of American Civilization...upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
Does it sound like it was the intention of our Founding Fathers to separate our Creator from our lives while governing the people, which is one of the most important responsibilities that one may be called to do in his/her service to others? I think not.
My interpretation of this situation is that anti-Christian liberals are trying to push their agenda for our nation, which is that it be Godless, so that our children can have freedom "from" religion, not freedom "of" religion." They would like nothing better than to destroy the roots and foundation of our great nation and replace them with Marxism, unequal justice, deceitfulness and anything that is the opposite of truth, justice, honesty and the Christian values set forth in the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution was not written to give religious content to our nation, but rather, the Constitution was intended to be and is an instrument that protects and perpetuates the already existing religious values of our nation. It would probably even come as a huge surprise to many people to discover that nowhere in the Constitution does the phrase "separation of church and state" appear. In fact, there has never been a document of state that has even proposed such a concept, but liberals have passed the phrase around so much, that it is as much believed as one of the gospels.
In 1947, Justice Hugo Black made a ruling with the United States Supreme Court in the case of Everson vs. Board of Education. In that ruling, Judge Black took the First Amendment clause that read: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" and ruled that the absolute meaning of that clause was that any aid or benefit to religion from governmental actions is unconstitutional. As Justice Black stated, ""The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach."
When the First Amendment was passed, it had only had two main purposes. First, was to prohibit the government from mandatorily establishing a "Church of the United States" and declaring that one particular religion be the religion of the region, such as Britain had done. This was in response to concerns expressed by some Baptist clergymen of Danbury, Connecticut in a letter that Thomas Jefferson received from them in January 1802. Jefferson answered that letter, assuring them about the "wall," which had a one-directional purpose and that was to protect the church from the state. The church should always be free to teach biblical values to the people, while at the same time keeping the government out of the church. Our ancestors crossed the ocean, founded this great Country, and fought to preserve and protect those freedoms!
Secondly, the part of the First Amendment in which many people have of late decided to disagree, is the part that had been interpreted as follows: “the government should not impede or interfere with the practice of free religion.” The voice of religion is not supposed to be removed from public debate, but protected so that each religion can have its say. The First Amendment was intended to be a safeguard so that the state has no jurisdiction over the Church, thus protecting it, but if the liberals have their way, they will remove the Church from every forum and totally disestablish it.
Until next time,
God bless you all and keep you safe,
Cynde
- Location:at home
- Mood:
annoyed - Music:http://thewayofthemasterradio.com
(banner by
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fallenmelody )Well, we're nearing the end of the Super "SummerWrite" Challenge 2008. I don't know how the others feel, but I feel a deep sense of sadness at having something so special end. There was something magic about the combination of people in this "challenge" and I think that my group was exceptional. I imagine that everyone had the same feelings about their own individual groups, but the girls in my group are go-getters and leaders and just...special. They took me, a much older, disabled "girl" and treated her like one of the gang...and I'll never forget that! I've made some really good friends here and I hope that we keep this community going somehow. There was mention of an "AutumnWrite," and I would be interested in it, but if I actually start up college courses, which I am contemplating doing after I finish my course with ICL (the Institute of Children's Literature), then maybe I'll feel like the rest of the girls do. Of course their studies should come first and I respect them for that. They are an amazingly dedicated bunch of woman who are single-minded in their quest for excellence. I'm so blessed to have been able to meet them!
My twin sister, Sande's, mother-in-law fell and broke her hip the night before last and had to have surgery yesterday, so I'm still waiting to hear how she's doing. I love her so much! She has always included me in all the family gatherings for all the years while Sande has been married to her son (they're still married, of course) and I had no one and I was waiting for "Mr. Right" (Dion)--and that was about 28 years, but nobody seemed to notice but me. Anyway, I'll let you know how she is when I find out.
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- Mood:
busy - Music:http://thewayofthemasterradio.com
New friends!
So I've procured a number of new friends lately, and I'd like to know a little about all of you!! Even if you're not a *new* friend, feel free to fill this out. Just because, you know, it's fun. :o)
1. name:
2. birthday:
3. place of residence:
4. what makes you happy:
5. what are you listening to now/have listened to last:
6. do you read my lj:
7. if you do, what is particularly good/bad about it:
8 an interesting fact about you:
9. are you in love/have a crush at the moment:
10. favourite place to be:
11. favourite lyric/quote:
12. best time of the year:
13: a recent picture of yourself:
RECOMMEND
1. a film:
2. a book:
3. a song:
4. a comic book:
5. a short story:
6. a TV program:
PLUS
1. one thing you like about me:
2. two things you like about yourself:
3. put this in your LJ so you can have some fun with it, too.
Come on, everybody! Fill it out and let's have some fun with this! I got it from a friend of mine, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
sarahsays and I modified it a tiny little bit to fit my needs and then I posted it. (I left all the questions exactly the same.) Just keep posting them back and forth and that way, we'll get to know each other pretty well, huh?
I hope to talk to you soon.
Much love,
Cynde 
- Location:at home
- Mood: cheerful
- Music:http://thewayofthemasterradio.com
Hi, everybody! I'm not sure if any of you heard what happened to my computer at the end of June, but when I was using brand new software that I purchased for the express purpose of backing up my book and other documents, my computer froze and when it got unstuck and came back to life, everything was gone! All my photos, graphics, animations and illustrations had disappeared. In addition to that, all my research, my short stories, my saved documents and most importantly of all...MY BOOK...all 33,883 words of it was gone!
Needless to say, I was completely devastated! I called the computer manufacturer and explained my problem and miraculously, even though I am well past the warranty period, they have agreed to take my laptop back and try to repair it...for FREE! While I was speaking to the representative, he discovered that my particular model number had a defect that had not been fixed on my computer. The defect had nothing to do with my problem, but it enabled him to do this great favor for me and he was very helpful and understanding. It probably didn't hurt matters any when I cried and told him all about how I'm disabled and how I depend on having this laptop in working order (all true)--and I didn't do it to manipulate him, either. It all just came pouring out in my desperation and the sweet man felt sorry for me--he was such an angel. It was definitely a blessing from the Lord. I don't normally break down like that. I was just at the end of my rope.
Now all I'm waiting on is the box to ship it back in. First they forgot to send one; then, the box they sent was so paper-thin that it was caved in on one half of it by the time it got here. Did they really think I would ship my laptop back to them in a box like that? No way!!!
In the meantime, I have found some of the documents that I thought were lost, hidden in the hard drive...but still, no book. I'll keep looking, but I really think that it's gone.
I've already gotten a good start on rewriting my book and I think that it may even be coming out better than the original did. The Lord is so good, isn't He?
- Location:at home
- Mood:
peaceful - Music:http://thewayofthemasterradio.com
I can't believe what a blessing it has been for me to join the
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
summerwrite Writing Challenge this summer. I went and looked at my posting for the 4th of June, entitled "Boo-Boo Kitty" and I noticed that someone had made a comment. I clicked on it and immediately smiled because the comment was from a really sweet, new friend of mine that's in the frckledfireflys with me--her name is: anilinium.- Location:at home
- Mood:
thankful - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
When someone gets hurt or calls in sick where my husband works, to tease them they call that person "Boo-Boo Kitty." So, I've decided that since I was sick with flu-like symptoms for days and was stuck in bed, that's what I'll be calling myself for a few days. Dion took such sweet and tender care of me; he is an amazing man--I love him so much!
I had to reschedule the doctor's appointment that I had for Friday and change it to Monday (02 June 08). My sister, Carol takes me to the Pain Clinic once a month (she and I go in to see the doctor together because we both have appointments and he always see us together) and then we get groceries and whatever little errands we need to run. It's usually the only time I get out of the house at all. When the weather is nice, Dion takes me for rides (sometimes on the motorcycle) or he takes me out for a bite to eat because he doesn't like the idea of me being stuck at home all the time.
- Location:at home
- Mood:
contemplative - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
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fallenmelodyHi, everybody!
I'm finally going to post my word counts and get caught up. I feel terrible that I'm so far behind in doing that, but I just didn't have it in me to do it after what I've been facing these past few weeks.
Anyway, here they are:
My word count for 15 May 2008 is: 1,109
My word count for 20 May 2008 is: 731
My word count for 21 May 2008 is: 821
My word count for 23 May 2008 is: 937
My word count for 27 May 2008 is: 1,078
My word count for 28 May 2008 is: 1,244
My word count for 29 May 2008 is: 902
Week Two Word Count (08 May-14 May 08) is: 3,858
Week Three Word Count (15 May-21 May 08) is: 2,661
Week Four Word Count (22 May-28 May 08) is: 3.259
Total Word Count To Date....................................
Well, that's that. The dates that aren't listed are the dates that I didn't do any writing. As you can see, I've missed a lot of days because of this foolishness! Now I have to get back on the ball. I work better under pressure, believe or not (I used to, anyway) so maybe this is a good thing. Yeah, right.
Here's hoping we have a nice, relaxing, uneventful weekend. I need to be rejuvenated so I can start fresh on Monday morning. Pray for me, ok?
Talk to you soon,
~Cynde
P.S. I don't know what the trick to this is, but no matter what I do to "edit" this, I can't seem to post my columns/numbers in even lines on my journal. Forgive me, ok?
- Location:at home
- Mood:
accomplished - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
For anyone that's interested, here is the article that was posted on the internet and in our local newspapers about the "Big Pot Bust" in the mobile home of my mother's tenant! As it turned out, this was probably one of the biggest (if not the biggest) stories in our county all year!This really isn't the kind of notoriety that my family wants, needs or is accustomed to, but such is life. So...Here's the story:
Ovid pot growing operation busted
Press Release 5/16/08
Seneca County Sheriff Jack Stenberg reports that in conjunction with the Seneca County District Attorney's Office, Investigators conducted a search warrant at 2752 St. Rt, 96 Ovid NY on 5/15/08 at 11:00 A.M. After an extensive two month long investigation conducted by the Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office, Investigators arrested Timothy J. Coon, 53, of 2752 St. Rt. 96 Ovid NY on charges of Criminal Sale of Marijuana in the 3rd degree(class E felony), Criminal Possession of Marijuana in the 1st degree(class C felony) and Growing the plant known as Cannibus by a person not being duly licensed(class A misdemeanor).
Investigators from both offices concluded that Coon had a highly developed indoor marijuana growing operation located inside his residence that included several high pressure sodium lighting systems, numerous fans and cooling agents set up throughout the residence. This is what lead Investigators to be granted a search warrant. Upon execution of the search warrant issued by Ovid Town Justice Ewing, Investigators confiscated the lighting systems, cooling systems, watering system, drug paraphernalia to include smoking devices and scales. Investigators also took over 100 marijuana plants out of the residence at various stages of growth, some over six feet tall.
Investigators estimate that the marijuana will weigh over ten pounds after it is dried. This is where the Criminal Possession of Marijuana 1st degree charge stems from. Investigators also said that Coon had sold over and ounce of marijuana to a confidential informant leading to the Criminal Sale of Marijuana in the 3rd degree charge.
Coon was arraigned in the Town of Ovid Court in the presence of Justice Ewing. Coon was remanded to the custody of the Seneca County Sheriff with out bail. Coon is slated to appear in the Town of Ovid Court on 5/22/08 to answer to the charges. Investigators also state that as this investigation has led them to the Ovid, Interlaken Willard and Lodi area's and as the investigation continues to unfold more arrests are likely.
(Here are several of the marijuana plants that had been removed from the premises following their being tagged and photographed at the scene. Next, they will be wrapped for transport to a facility where they will be measured, weighed, tested, then returned for secured storage as evidence in this on-going investigation. clh) Well, that's that. The case has been turned over to the Grand Jury, but I don't have any of the particulars. See you next time, ~Cynde
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- Location:at home
- Mood:
aggravated - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
We are so happy! Wednesday, Dion's mom had major surgery on her left leg to repair some circulation problems that they think may have partially resulted from a fall she took a few months back (she broke some ribs, too) and the fact that she already had poor circulation anyway, and she's doing great! Had the surgery not been successful, they would have had to remove her leg, so we're all very relieved and thankful. Praise the Lord!
I'm also very worried about my own mother. As soon as I was finished with my last posting here, she called to tell me that her tenant that had been renting a mobile home from her and living right beside her for the past two years was just picked up by the Sheriff's Dept., arrested and taken to jail for growing and selling marijuana in the trailer.
- Location:at home
- Mood:
moody - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
Dion took Monday,(12 May 2008) the day after Mother's Day, off from work to spend it with me, so we had a nice long weekend together. I ended up not doing any writing at all during that time; I really needed the rest because my hands/arms were killing me. It was to the point where I couldn't even bend my fingers without help and that's not good. We had some great weather in spots and were grateful for it.Dion picked me a big bunch of our tulips along with some white lilac from one of our trees. They are so beautiful and of course the lilacs smell heavenly. We have so many different colors of tulips--maybe I'll try to take a photo one of these days and post it so you can see the pretty yellows and different shades of pinks and reds; I just love them!
We love to get up real early in the morning and go out and sit at our little bistro table with the two matching chairs and have a cup of coffee or hot cocoa and talk. We listen to the birds singing and we can hear the world waking up around us; it's one of our special times together.
I finally reached the 10k mark in the "SummerWrite" Challenge! I was so afraid I wouldn't even be able to do that! This is the most writing I've ever done on any single writing project, so it's definitely a huge milestone for me. I do realize that a lot of it will need to be trashed when I edit, but there's some real gold in there, for sure!
Here are some daily word counts, so I can catch up on my postings:
My word count for 13 May 2008 is: 1,058
My word count for 14 May 2008 is: 988
My Grand Total word count is: 10,732 <<<<<<<I reached 10k! Woo Hoo!
I've got to get back to my writing now. I'm having so much fun with this. The only problem is: I know that my family will like my book, but I'm scared to death that no one else will. I guess I must have low self-esteem.
Talk to you later, ~Cynde
- Location:at home
- Mood:
excited - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
Hi, everybody! This adorable little photo was posted on the "summerwrite" site by "wellowned". Isn't it sweet? I don't know about you, but it sure looks like I've already been receiving the help from an "asistent" just exactly like the one in this photo!Well, it's word count reporting time again. Yippee Kigh-yay!
My word count for 09 May 2008 is: 921
__________________________________
My Word Count Total for Week One: 6,874
(01 May through 07 May 2008)
________________________________________
Guess what else. My husband came home last night with some movies for a movie marathon for "Mother's Day" weekend and he gave me my card early. He gave me some beautiful flowers (he does that a lot, just because he loves me) and the card is so awesome. He wrote some really nice stuff in it that made me cry (I'd rather keep it to myself) and then there was a piece of paper folded up into a tiny square inside it. He told me that was my gift and I just couldn't imagine what it was. As I opened it, I still couldn't guess, and he had it folded inside out to confuse me, but the note said that he loved me and Happy Mother's Day on it. I turned the paper over and it was a leave slip--he took the day off on Monday to spend with me. Not only does it make a long weekend for us, but it's also the anniversary of Dana's accident and I always have a bad day that day. Isn't he the most loving, thoughtful man in the entire world? I love him more than words can say. I'm so blessed to have him for a husband.
I'm off to snuggle and watch movies with Dion now. Talk to you guys later.
All you Moms out there, have a wonderful Mother's Day!
See you soon...~Cynde
- Location:at home
- Mood:
loved - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
Well, I had another bad day yesterday, in relation to my pain, I mean. So...when I'm in pain like that, I can't type or concentrate on my story very well, even though I did all the relaxation therapy tricks they told me to do. I turn off all the light, turn on soft music, (I put on a CD of nature sounds that my eldest son, Josh, gave me) and then I try to think of a beautiful place that I'd like to visit and the relaxing story to go with it. I visualized the picture I have attached here. There's a beautiful beach from my vantage point, and my husband and I lay a blanket out on it and have a nice picnic lunch there, just the two of us. Every time I got relaxed, a telemarketer called. They call here at least twenty times per day and that's no exaggeration! I can't turn off the ringer, because the minute I do, Dion would need me (or my Mom) and I'd be more tense with it off than I would with it on, so I just leave it on and forget the relaxation therapy.My word count for 07 May 2008 was: 932 Lets's hope I'll do a little better today, although I don't seem to feel too great today, either. I can't wait for the weekend so that I can relax and watch movies. It's Mother's Day weekend, so I get to be pampered all weekend! Anything I want, we do. He does the same for my birthday and I do likewise for his and Father's Day. We both look so forward to it. It's like "Queen/King for a Day," only it's for a whole weekend!
Well, I'll talk to you later...~Cynde
- Location:at home
- Mood:
disappointed - Music:http://wayofthemasterradio.com
Hi there. I didn't have too great a day at all today. My word count was pretty low; it was: 859 and my pain count was pretty high; it was 8.5 out of a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being dead because of the pain. My husband had to undress me and put me into bed as soon as he got home. I'm just getting up to make a few notes so I don't forget what my day was like. I always get melancholy when I'm in this much pain--sorry.It looks like Sande's mother-in-law may need a pacemaker for her heart. They put her in Intensive Care last night to keep a good eye on her, she was so wiped out from the ordeal of not being able to breath and because her heart will beat like it's supposed to for a minute, then it will stop for seven whole seconds, then start sluggishly again. That sure doesn't sound too good to me!
My mom and Helen (that's Sande's mother-in-law) have become very good friends since my father died in 1987 and I think my mother would be lost without her. I wish she'd develop a relationship like that with Dion's (my husband) mom, Barbara.
Barbara is so amazing! You know how you hear all those horror stories about awful mothers-in law--well, I can't relate to that. Barb is so fantastic. I even call her "Mom," too, because I love her so much! I've known Dion's parent's since I was a teenager and they've always treated me like one of the family, especially Dion's father, Duane; he died in 2005 and took a big piece of my heart with him. He was like a second father to me.
Duane has watched over me since I was a young girl, never forgetting holidays, birthdays, or just to show that he and Barb cared. You see, when I was a teenager, I was engaged to their son, Dion's big brother, Dana.
Dana was special. He was destined to become someone great. He was the kid that was the most popular and well-liked, best-looking and talented in so many areas. He was a track star, he was into photography, he worked hard helping his father with farming chores and helping his mother take care of the other four younger children. He'd just spent the day with me at my school and the week before I had spent the day at his because they had a special month in which they allowed school visitations so that kids from neighboring schools would know how some of their friends lived; it was part of a community awareness program.
After decorating the gymnasium for the prom that was to be held that weekend, Dana was going to stop over to see me and if it was too late, he would call. I started to worry because it was getting late, but when the phone rang I was so relieved because I thought it was Dana telling me that he was done and safe at home...but it wasn't.
It was a friend of Dana's named Don Sharp on the phone. He was calling to tell me that Dana had been in a car accident. I couldn't breathe; I know that the fear must have shone on my face because my parents had come out to yell and tell me that it was too late to receive phone calls and instead, they took one look at me as I was listening to Don speak, they stood watching me, holding each other. I couldn't answer Don back when he asked me when I had talked to Dana last. My voice just wouldn't come. My Dad took the phone from me and asked Don what was happening while Mom held me. That was the end of my innocence and believing that this world was a safe and beautiful place.
Three days later, Dana died. It was a Saturday morning. My mother called me to come upstairs and I remember waking up so happy and light-hearted because that day was the day that Mom and Dad had promised me that they would take me to see him. I hadn't seen Dana since Tuesday at my school and had cried day and night since, wondering how he was and wishing I could drive to the hospital myself.
I hopped up the steps and my mother was waiting for me at the top of them, wringing her hands and staring straight into my eyes. We stood for several seconds, looking at each other and then I knew...
"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, honey," she said as I quickly walked away from her, more frightened than I had ever been in my entire life. I heard someone screaming, "No! No! No!" It was the most pitiful keening I had ever heard. They just kept screaming and crying and gasping for air.
My father ran home from his car dealership next door to our house and took me in his arms. Just then I noticed that the screams had quieted, and I realized that it had been me.
Dad and Mom sat me down and told me what I had already figured out. They explained that the injuries that Dana had sustained from the car accident that he had been in on Tuesday night were so severe that he just couldn't survive them. He had severe brain damage and the Lord took him home to be with Him.
I was in a daze. I went in to shock and even though several of my friends came over to the house to spend the day, much of the rest of that day is a blur. That day was 15 May 1970, almost 38 years ago. It's so weird; I don't even have to look at a calendar to be able to feel that date coming near.
I know that Dana would be so happy for Dion and me to have found each other; we are the two people in the world that probably loved him the most in the world and the Lord must have thought that we belonged together--and I think he was right!
Dion and I are very much in love--we're soul-mates! He is so kind and tender to me. I must have done something really good in my life to have deserved being blessed with a husband like him; he's one of a kind and I love him with all my heart!
Sweet dreams, everyone. By the way, I changed the theme on my page here. It's called "Firefly Night." Wouldn't that be perfect for the "Freckled Fireflys?" ~Cynde
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