Happy Thursday, Ms. Viv ‘Nim
Fanaticals!
In today’s blog, we get to
hear from the Rev. Stanley D. Richardson, pastor of First Baptist Church in
Culver City, California. Pastor Rich has a vested interest in celebrating the
life of the late Sylvia E. Douglas, mainly because one of the members of the
flock happens to be Ms. Syl’s youngest son Bret.
With that said, here are
Pastor Rich’s comments.
Greetings to one and all!
I want to first of all state
for the record that I loved Mama Syl—that was my nickname for her whenever she
visited from Minnesota. At the risk of using a cliché, Mama Syl was as sweet as
apple pie. One smile from her, followed by a hug, and you knew that you were
loved. To be honest, Mama Syl reminded me a lot of my mother; she was sweet but
stern, she wasn’t phony, and she loved life.
When I first met Mama Syl, it
was in early March 1987. She was all excited because her youngest grandchild
Nikki (who was only four months old at the time) was about to be blessed.
Miraculously, I had performed double duty—I gave a sermon and I performed the
blessing of Little Miss Nikki. As is custom in church, once service had ended,
everyone wanted to socialize with me. Almost like the woman in Luke 8:43-48,
Mama Syl pushed her way through the crowd and gave me a hug. When I turned to
face her, she looked at me with that beautiful motherly smile and said, “I just
want to thank you for lettin’ God use you. I see why my son Bret speaks so
fondly of you.”
I smiled and hugged her back,
and said, “Well, God bless your heart.”
Whenever Mama Syl was in
town, I had to acknowledge her, as though she was a celebrity. She would humbly
stand up and wave, then blow me a kiss—this was her routine every time she came
to visit.
Sometime in July 2011, I was
informed that Mama Syl had had a visit to the hospital, but was released the
same day and was sent home. I called her to see how she was doing, and she lit
up like a Christmas tree. If you all could’ve heard the joy in her voice… one
of the things she said was: “I’m gonna tell all my friends that my baby boy’s
pastor all the way in California had called to check on little ol’ me!”
Now, Heaven has another angel
in the form of Mrs. Sylvia Esmeralda Douglas. You’re never fully prepared to
see your loved ones off when they go to Glory, but Paul tells us not to be
ignorant concerning those who are asleep. My thoughts and prayers to Roger, her
husband of 67 years. My prayers also to her children—Bret, Sandy, Cattie, and
Bob. We share in your loss, but we also rejoice in knowing that Mama Syl knew
The Lord, and in turn, The Lord knew Mama Syl.
Stay strong Douglas Family,
and God Bless.
Rev. Stanley D. Richardson,
Pastor, First Baptist Church of Culver City, CA
Tomorrow’s Blog: Thank You,
Syl—With Love, from Ms. Viv
No comments:
Post a Comment