I can't believe what a blessing it has been for me to join the

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.

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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.

         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.  

    

Hi, everybody!  In case you didn't notice, I've joined the Super "Summerwrite" Challenge 2008!  Each writer/author is challenged to write 150,000 words between today and midnight on 31 August 2008, which is a pretty tall order.  I have decided to work on a YA (Young Adult) Novel which is untitled at this point (75,000 approx.).  After that is completed, I plan to do a series of short stories, mostly mysteries. A progress bar is posted in the sidebar of this blog right below my profile information and avatar so you'll know my progress at a glance. 
     Because of the disabilities that I have with my hands, I am not going to beat myself up if I can't keep up with my goal of writing 1,500 words per day.  I will, however, be very pleased with myself if I am able to maintain a schedule of any sort, because it's so hard to know when I'll even have use of my hands at all.  I hesitate joining any of the groups for that very reason; I just don't want to disappoint anyone or let anyone down.
     Well, I better get back to work.  I just wanted you to know what I was up to so you could pray for me when you get the chance.  I hope you're all doing fine where you are.
     God bless you!
     Cynde 

     I was once asked to name a literary character who has changed me in some way and I found that to be a difficult question to answer because of all of the reading that I have done.  I wanted to dig deeper than a standard answer like "Atticus Finch" of  "To Kill A Mockingbird," even though he would have definitely been a man I would have looked up to in real life.  I decided that I wanted to name someone that maybe you have not met yet.
     There are so many memorable characters that I have laughed with, cried with, run the gamut of emotions with, but somehow I was unable to retain their precious names or the titles of those books in my memory banks.  I remember their essence but not exact details.
     Of the few that I was able to retain, I have chosen "Miss Love" of Olive Ann Burns'  "Cold Sassy Tree."   
     Miss Love Simpson was the lovely, young, unmarried milliner that was employed at the General Store owned by Grandpa E. Rucker Blakeslee in the town of Cold Sassy.  In an unexpected turn of events, Grandpa ("Rucker") Blakeslee proposed to Miss Love and the two of them were married a scandalous three weeks after his beloved Granny Blakeslee "went to her reward." 
     From then on, it became almost a full-time crusade for Miss Love to regain the respect of the townspeople, (who now thought of her as a golddigger and were sure that things had started between them before Granny Blakeslee had departed) Rucker's two daughters and his beloved grandson, "Will Tweedy" (who was enthralled with her right from the start). 
     What started out as a secret "business proposition" in which the house and all its contents became Miss Love's upon Rucker's death in exchange for her cooking, cleaning and performing all the platonic duties of a wife (so he wouldn't "become a burden to his daughters in his old age") and not discussing the terms with anyone, became a "love match." (after a lot of work on Rucker's part, because he had loved her from afar for a very long time!) 
     Miss Love is a fully rounded character whose reactions are governed by hidden childhood abuse issues that threaten her relationships with most men she comes in contact with.  She has a strong faith in the Lord, she's kind, giving, loving, strong, vibrant, brave and generous;  she's everything that I hope that I am or will be.
     I do hope you'll read this book.  It is such a good one that you won't want to put it down.  If you don't read it, you'll be missing out on true American classics ~ the lady and the book!
 

 It was a Saturday morning.  My mother called me to come upstairs and I remember waking up so happy and light-hearted because today was the day that Mom and Dad had PROMISED ME that they would take me to see my fiance.  I hadn't seen him since Tuesday and had cried day and night since, wondering how he was and wishing I could drive there 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 he 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.

I do know that I'll always remember being told about it just like it was yesterday.  My husband remembers that day just as well.  You see, my fiance was his big brother!  Can you imagine that?  About twenty eight years after that fateful night, he and I started dating and we fell in love and now we're married.  We're soul-mates and deeply in love!  And we both know that his brother is watching us from heaven, smiling down on us, and happy that we're together. 

Thank you Lord for turning a horrible, horrible tragedy for two people into a beautiful love story!  We both still love him and always will...but now, we'll just do it together!