True Love Lives Here: It Never Ends

By David R Jones

True Love Lives Here is a true love story that takes us from two persons who had given up on love as something only found in fairy tales and romantic stories, to the heights of true love and beyond.

David and Sharon were on different roads that through the twists and turns of life had crossed many times, but they never realized what God had planned. Each having given up on love, they both were apprehensive of sharing their lives with another until a series of synchronistic events brought them together. With their hope and faith in God, they learned to trust then love each other.

They find that true love is a manifestation of God's love for us. Their story takes us through having given up on love, to finding their true love, to the heights of what true love can be. After losing his wife, his one and only true love, David fought a long battle out of the darkness of despair to find that the brilliant light of true love never ends.

We pray this book helps you to find hope and faith in God. That it helps you to see the love that God gives us in our hearts, to never take love for one another for granted. To find hope and comfort in even the darkest despair. Showing your loved ones never really left. That God's love will shine a light to find your way back to the true love you thought was lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685179038

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True Love Lives Here

It Never Ends

David R. Jones

ISBN 978-1-68517-902-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68517-903-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by David R. Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

Not Knowing

Chapter 2

I Find the One Whom My Soul Loves

Chapter 3

We Find Each Other

Chapter 4

The Proposal

Chapter 5

Tying the Knot

Chapter 6

Our New Life

Chapter 7

Storm on the Horizon

Chapter 8

Hope and Faith

Chapter 9

Despair

Chapter 10

Saying Goodbye

Chapter 11

Darkness

Chapter 12

Learning to Listen

Chapter 13

Afterlife

Chapter 14

Is That You?

Chapter 15

Confirmations

Chapter 16

Private Conversations

Chapter 17

The Promise

Photographs

It's Only Me and You

About the Author

To my wife, Sharon

My one and only true love

Christmas 2004

Our first Christmas together

Christmas 2004. Our first Christmas together.

Acknowledgments

There are many people I would like to acknowledge and thank for making this book possible. All those who helped me to remember so many things that Sharon and I had shared with each other and our family and friends.

I want to first and foremost thank God for his supervision, protection, and all the prayers he has answered in my life. For his continued support, guidance, and bolstering of my faith, even when my heart was in darkness and could not see.

For these following people who took time out of their busy lives to support my efforts to complete this book.

Tonya, my daughter, for continuously—like her mother would have done—keeping me positive and moving forward and for her elaborate contributions to this book. For approaching and introducing me to one of her best friends, a medium who will by request remain anonymous but is referred to as Snow White in this book.

Tonya's husband, Larry, for putting up with the numerous phone calls and interruptions at all hours to get answers that fit my schedule for writing. Also for being a rough and ready linesman, nominated by me to read this manuscript. I told him if I can make him laugh and cry with our story, I have succeeded.

My son Daniel and his significant other, Mindy, who have allowed me many indulgences over this period. Daniel, who basically gave up his personal life for a little over two weeks after Sharon's passing, to stay with me. He never left my side. Both have supported and urged me forward in writing this book and reminding me of the artist who lived inside. Something that Sharon, in both aspects, pushed me to do.

Rick, my son, for always being there to help take care of his mom, especially during some very trying times, and his support for me that continued even after her passing.

Lynette and her husband, Jimmy. Lynette provided the help I needed to work through the development of this book by offering insight, commentary, and proofing. As a person who did not live through nor have a seat on the roller coaster we sometimes felt we were on during Sharon's illness, Lynette was able to offer the perspective we needed of an outsider looking in. She undoubtably spent a lot of her personal time in helping me to finish this book. My thanks to her husband, Jimmy, for having the patience for the many interruptions I must have caused, and for his input on the story line.

Tori, my granddaughter, for helping me remember so many of the stories and our great times together with her Mama Sharon. I know she is bragging about you in heaven!

Pam and Tammy, Sharon's sisters, who helped me remember and for also shining a light on Sharon's background growing up and the closeness they shared throughout Sharon's life.

My best friend, Lewis Knuckles, who continues to share the issues that come with being my friend. Not many would be open to accept what I have laid before him, but that just shows what true friendship is.

A special acknowledgment to my new friend Snow White, a medium who requested we respect her remaining anonymous. I cannot begin to thank you for being willing to share your gift with me. God has blessed me with you gifting me with the proof that our loved ones continue to live, are always with us and sharing with me just a glimpse of paradise.

To my Krutherford family: Emily, Kim, and the Editing Department. Thank you for the support in helping me publish this book. Thank you for helping me in every step of the publishing process. Thank you for helping polish my work and respecting my preferences on what to revise and retain. I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Introduction

As I sat down to write this introduction, it started to rain. Actually, it became a downpour. I thought, How appropriate. It was not supposed to rain until much later. Once more, synchronicities had their subtle play with my life.

I started writing this book about nine months after losing my wife, Sharon, to cancer. I had just retired, having worked almost two years past retirement age. I was blessed with good health and my wife, and I thought if I wanted to keep working it would help us to secure a retirement lifestyle similar to our current life at that time. So we made our plans and worked for that bright and sunny day.

While most of us recognize and know that rainy day will come, we mostly never think it will. We make our plans with the what-ifs never really given an audience. I don't know if it really matters anyway. I, for one, have not found a way to keep it from raining. That dark and stormy day for me came almost a year ago. Kind of like the storm today: unexpected, sudden, and a lot earlier than my forecast.

I was writing this book not only as a tribute to my wife, Sharon, but also to help me put things into perspective. Up until almost a year ago, I was for the most part a positive, optimistic person. Not that I was a perfect person, not by a long shot. I was, I thought, someone who was intelligent, judicious, and generally had my act together. I tried to be that person whom people could come to. While I personally do not believe in organized religion, I openly let my faith and belief in God be known, wanting others to find and experience that same faith and belief. I thought nothing was impossible, feeling that I and my family for the most part were always protected because of that faith and belief. It was not that I took this for granted. I expressed my thanks to God and tried to live up to the standards and principles of the person I thought he would want me to be.

When I lost my wife, Sharon, my world came to a screeching halt. It was not that I had never experienced death or the loss of a loved one. But this was so much different. I had lost the better part of me. I no longer felt like this strong, intelligent person. None of this made any sense. So many questions. Where were the answers? Did I not deserve answers? What I found is this world had no answers for me. I plummeted into an abyss where I saw no escape. I found myself in a darkness where I believe few ever find their way out.

When I thought there was no hope and heard only empty platitudes from those who thought I should move on, God; my wife, Sharon—yes, Sharon; and my children used the only thing that could save anyone at this point: true love. They helped me to gain a foothold on my long climb out of the darkness. On my journey, I learned that death, in this dimension of existence, is not the end as the world would have you believe. There is no finality as far as life is concerned. I found I was not alone. I never have been. I just needed to open my eyes and my heart.

Since you have obviously picked up this book, I hope that as you read this book you will realize there is so much more to life than this one stop along your journey. This world is not the end of your life. I believe it is very well a beginning. You are never alone on this journey. And yes, it will rain. But right behind it is another sunny day.

Just let yourself believe!

Chapter 1

Not Knowing

It was the summer of 1963; I was only ten years old. I had a habit of walking out to my great-uncle Jade's and aunt Annebelle's on pretty much a regular basis. I liked her cooking and would sometimes have it perfectly timed. I also always enjoyed his tales of when he was younger and what it was like growing up here just after the turn of the twentieth century.

This fateful day, I would find they had company. It was Delmar and Bonnie Harding come to visit. All were sitting on the front porch, as was the habit. When I walked up the porch steps, it was then I saw the prettiest girl ever on the far end of the porch. Her name was Sharon, as we were introduced.

It was suggested by my great-aunt that I should take her out in the yard and entertain her. Even at ten years old, I was suddenly all for that! Sharon's mother, Bonnie, made us stay in the front yard though where they could watch us. I thought they were awfully protective, as all the good stuff was out back. There was this one place where you could climb up on the roof and see all around. I thought it would be a really neat place we could sit and talk, a place I could really impress her. But it was not to be so. There was no sneaking away from her mom's watchful eye.

I did not realize at the time, as I was already infatuated by this very pretty girl, that Sharon was an older woman to me by a year and a half. I think I may have been smitten with a touch of puppy love because I made a few extra trips out there to visit, hoping to see Sharon again, but it would not happen again for a couple of years.

I would like to take a few moments to tell you a little about Sharon. Sharon was born on June 25, 1951, in Charleston, West Virginia. Her full name on the birth certificate is Sharon Lynn Helmick, born to Hallie Tate, an unwed mother. Sharon never knew or found out who her birth father was. As a matter of fact, this plagued Sharon her entire life. She spent a lot of effort—along with Tonya's help, some with my help—trying to find out who her birth father was. Sharon was never able to ascertain that fact even with all the technology available today. Her birth mother, Hallie, refused to discuss any aspects of that information with Sharon or her sister, Pam.

Hallie kept Sharon until she was eighteen months old, at which time Hallie gave Sharon to Bonnie Harding, Hallie's first cousin. Sharon has an older sister, Pam, who was given to Hallie's parents, and a younger sister, Debbie, who, coming along later, grew up in a home with Hallie as her mother. Bonnie and her husband, Delmar Harding, accepted Sharon and raised her as their own. Forever after that, Sharon considered Bonnie and Delmar her mother and father, although she was never formally adopted. Bonnie and Delmar registered Sharon for school as her parents when the time came. They listed her as Sharon Lynn Harding on all her school records. That was the name I always knew Sharon by in school. Sharon went by that name until she changed her last name to Holmes after getting married in 1968.

I would see Sharon again when I went to junior high school in 1965. This time, when I realized it was her, I did not stand a chance of being with her! She was now an upperclassman and was off-limits to the likes of me. I kept it all to myself as I realized she had gone from pretty to beautiful. Like most boys at that age, I was bashful and terrified to say anything other than hello, particularly to an older girl and one who was so beautiful. I would intentionally go the long way around to get to my next class just so I could catch a glimpse of her. Sharon ran for homecoming queen that year, and I was sure she would win hands down. I know Sharon had my vote! Unfortunately, she came in second. Sharon lost to another girl who, in my thinking, only got it due to her being a majorette. Sharon would leave to start high school after finishing that year.

I did not see Sharon again until high school in 1968. I was again smitten by her beauty. She was, of course, out of my league. I had no car, no money to speak of, and being an underclassman, I simply did not stand a chance. I was just someone to be nice to.

There was one other thing: Sharon was now married. Sharon had married a boy she grew up with, Richard Dickie Holmes. They had two children, Rick and Tonya. Sharon was eighteen years old and pregnant with Rick, her first child, when Bonnie and Delmar took in a set of twins, Timmy and Tammy, as foster children. Bonnie and Delmar were later awarded legal guardianship of Timmy and Tammy. At eighteen, Sharon was a big sister to the twins. At twenty-one, Sharon had her second child, her daughter, Tonya. Sharon and Dickie remained married for several years until 1990, when they got divorced.

I would not see Sharon much after my sophomore year in high school. After graduation, I went on to join the service. Before getting out of the service, I married my first wife. We had two sons together, Jeff and Michael. For some reason, I felt I needed to be married. I have no reason why.

The marriage to the mother of my two older boys was rocky, to say the least. Once I came home from the service, I do not think, at least to my memory, that we had even a day that we were not having an argument. I cannot say it was all her fault because I quit even trying. I filed for divorce, and she said that she was pregnant with my oldest son. So I stuck it out, thinking it was the right thing to do.

Our marriage, though, just continued to head downhill. I filed for divorce a second time a little over a year and a half later. As fate would have it, she told me she was pregnant with our second son. I thought, Surely, she will change, and I will too. It never happened.

Almost a year and a half passed, and I have been so miserable, but I am learning. I have nothing to do with her physically for about four months, and very little otherwise. I then filed for divorce, again. This was in the spring of 1977.

A bit of irony, or perhaps synchronicity: at the time of our divorce, my first wife and I were renting from Sharon and her first husband, Dickie. When I look back over our life, it seems our lives crossed paths several times!

Back to the story. I knew the boys' mother could not be pregnant this time. Besides, I figured it out. There was something causing this, and I did not want to be the one responsible. Also, staying together does not make it better; it just makes it hard on the children. She agrees to let me have custody of the two boys, until her mother tells her she will disown her if she does. The