BRIEFLY,HERE IS PART OF OUR STORY:
"Dion and I were both very close to Dion's brother, Dana. In fact, I was engaged to Dana, so naturally I was very much in love with him.
Dana was a very special guy, with many talents and a unique, amazing personality that drew all types and ages of people to him. In school, he was active in track and photography, plus he was the most popular guy there. His friends followed him around and always wanted to be where he was. Consequently, there were always about 25 to 30 guys at our house when he came to visit me in the summer. It's fortunate that we had a swimming pool and two pool tables to keep them entertained!
While Dana and I talked and spent time together, his friends were busy playing pool, swimming, and vying for my twin sister, Sande's affections. It was never-ending fun those days and there were no quarrels or disagreements at all between any of the guys that were there the whole time they were at my parents' house because my father made it clear that if there were, then out the door they'd go.
One night, on his way home from decorating the high school for the prom that we would be attending that weekend, he was on his way to my house. One of his best friends, Don, called me at home and it was well past the time that Dana should have arrived at my house (and WAY past the 9 p.m. telephone curfew), but I answered the phone anyway.
My father stood helplessly watching as my face went white and I dropped the phone, while my mother charged into the room insisting it was too late to accept phone calls. My father silenced her and helped me to a chair, with his arm tenderly around me. I could tell he was concerned, but I couldn't speak. Tears just kept flowing from my eyes--I was so scared.
Dad picked up the phone,got all the particulars from Don, and later told the whole family: Dana had been in a car accident and it was very bad. The next few days were a total blur for me. I couldn't wait for Saturday when they had agreed they would finally take me to see Dana in Intensive Care.
Saturday morning came, my mother called down to me and I ran up the stairs. I stood before her, watching her wring her hands and noticed the angry red lines circling her puffy eyes. She wouldn't look into my eyes, and I was frightened, so I backed away from her, shaking my head, "no".
My mother reached for me. She kept saying how sorry she was. She said, "I'm sorry, dear. I'm so, so, sorry." Then I heard the most pitiful, heart-wrenching scream I had ever heard in my life; it came from the depths of someone's heart and soul.
In moments, my father appeared from our car dealership next door to our home, and he lifted me and carried me in his arms to rock me in his chair in their bedroom. "Nothing else would have soothed you", he later told me, and I then realized it had been my own screams that I had heard earlier.
Dana was gone. He had died in the night. My life was over and I would never see him again.
Then 28 years later, the Lord saw fit to bring Dion and I together...and we are soul-mates. We complete each other, and I am SO sure that as Dana looks down from heaven, he is HAPPY to see that two of the MOST important people in his life have been brought together, in love, and that we will live together, happily ever after."
We have two sons named Josh and Jon, ages 24 and 20, respectively. Josh and his wife Chrissy's son, Noah, is our first and only grandchild (born May 2009) and he is the joy of our lives.
I have a twin sister named Sande that looks just like me (the poor girl!); we both love horses and we're very close. (We used to be triplets, but our sister (triplet) is in heaven.) I'm also very close to my older sister, Carol Lee. I also have a set of twin half-sisters named Barbara and Beverly, but even though they are classified as "identical", they don't look as much alike as Sande and I do. My older brother, John, is in heaven, and to round out the family, I have two older half-brothers named Tracy and Freddie.
I write primarily crime-mystery type stories for young adults with the occasional non-fiction, middle grade story thrown in just for fun. I have decided that I would like to try my hand at writing paranormal (angels) historical romance for young adults, so that will be my next project after I finish up what I'm working on now, which is my first novel.
In addition to that, I'm taking a 12-month writing course entitled: Holly Lisle's "How To Think Sideways Career Survival School For Writers" and I'm learning so much valuable information. I'm hoping that by the time I finish the course, that I will have finished at least one of my projects so that I will be able to pursue getting my book published. (Whether or not it will be good enough is a different "story"...) No pun intended, of course! :o)
If you are interested in finding out more about the writing course that I am taking then click above, where the course is highlighted, or just click HERE.
Furthermore, I am in the process of completing a two-year writing course at the Institute of Children's Literature (ICL) and I am also taking writing courses and am a member of a critique group at Writers' Village University.
One more piece of information for you:
I am now officially a "published writer". (WooHoo!) In October 2010, a short story that I wrote entitled "The Rose" was accepted for publication in an art & literary magazine called ARISE. I published some information about it and some photos on my Facebook Profile and Author's Page. Also, if you'd like to read the story, check under the tab entitled "Published Stories" on the ribbon at the top of this blog.
Have a blessed day.
Sincerely,
Cynde Bond Hammond, writer
