Shyni Skowronski

I come from Kerala South India but I am currently living in the USA. I come from a music family. My father was a well respected singer and percussion manufacturer…Tabla was his favorite instrument, the one he was well known for. Master Thomas, my father, died on September 2nd 2000 and I miss him very much.I have two adopted children; both were born of my sister. Eju has been my son since he was six months old, he is now thirteen years old (in 2007). Eju’s little sister Geethu is now five years old and she also defected to our family when she was nearly four. My sister is a young soul and just learning about life, so the kids want to be with my husband and me. It is funny though, because now we are here in the USA, my children without their visas are stuck in India so my sister is still taking care of them on and off along with my mother who has them most of the time. The children are teaching them both about life and how to be loving parents so it is a good thing for now. But they miss us and we miss them very much. Book sales and recommendations to friends will help reunite our family quicker.Music has been a very big part of our family. My brother Shyam is a master Hindustani Vocalist as well as a tabla artist. He also plays more than twenty other instruments. He is also a percussion manufacturer just like our father was. Shyam is well known throughout southern India. I helped my father and my brother by managing their performances at different hotels and other venues. Because our family has had many foreign visitors over the years I have learned many languages…at one point I was able to speak seven languages, but some of them are getting a little rusty now from disuse.I have worked as a nurse for ten years. I was the head cardiac nurse for an American hospital in New Delhi for five years. I left that job to get married, which did not happen. Then two months later I met the man I had been waiting for…fifteen years! What took him so long?Now I am happy to be married to my husband Michael. All my life I wanted to be a good housewife because I saw how bad it could be with my parents and with other Indian families. Our culture and especially the strong Catholic influence had a very negative effect on the way men treated their wives and how wives treated their husbands. I wanted a different life…a good life.At age fifteen my grandfather John began talking about making a marriage for me. I went away to a beautiful natural spot on a small river to think. I did not want to marry an Indian man. I prayed to God, “What can I do? What should I do?” God answered me and told me I could marry a foreign man. I wanted an American man, but I was willing to consider some other countries too.I went home and told my grandfather…he kicked me out of the family. All of my family laughed, all of the people in my life thought I was crazy. They insulted me very badly, “You have mental problems. You are doing the wrong thing. Do you think a rich handsome white man will want an ugly black girl?” But I was confirmed in my decision. I waited fifteen years, and then I met the man of my dreams. And now they all love him too. My grandfather came after our initial marriage agreement and blessed our marriage and told me that I have a strong inner voice and to continue to follow it. When grandfather John died in January 2007 he gave the blessings of his life to me and my husband. I was happy to see my family change their ideas and accept us.My husband Michael is a very great author. He is helping me to write this, because my spelling and grammar is not good yet and I did not want to be embarrassed. I can speak English better than I can write it. When I write back to you my friends please excuse my spelling mistakes.

My husband Michael and I have a traditional Indian arranged marriage which very quickly became a love marriage.

You can read this amazing and interesting story of Love and Adventure right here:BLOG - A Marriage Made in Heaven - Part 1. BLOG - The Suicide and the Accident - Part 2.You will find pictures of India and our wedding pictures too.