Dear Mama,

I love you.

Growing up, you have taught me through your life what it means to be strong. At times, I think too strong. A lot of who I am, how I act, how I process is because of your influence and modeling.

I am not very good with emotions. I rarely share not just with you but to anyone. I think that’s something I got from you. Many look to you as a mentor and as a teacher who they can run to for advice and counsel. It seems like we have many things in common. I think I got a lot of that from you!

Also your positive stubbornness – I got that from you. When I believe in something, it is so hard to change my mind. That’s like you also! Though there are downsides to this kind of thinking, you have touched many lives because you believe in something so hard – it would be anti-Violy to think otherwise.

You believed in all of us. You pushed all of us to greatness. You never wanted us to whine about life. You also never wanted us to be lazy and apathetic. Many things we got from you. Maybe we should have called you Iron Woman.

You worked hard all your life, and in your later years, we saw you enjoyed the fruit of your labor. You were balancing in that sense. You started having a lot of friends, and you also took time to make disciples. Thank you for showing us balance.

Some may think that the most important things you did in my life were to infuse courage or strength, but I reflected long and hard – and it might be trivial for some, but it was your time spend cleaning my ear and taking out the black and white heads on my back and rubbing alcohol after to make sure it’s clean. You did that till I was in my twenties. It was the no agendas that made life with you so happy and enjoyable. It wasn’t the pep talks or the sermons – it was your love expressed through the care and touch that every son longs for that will be remembered.

Many can encourage me as you do, many can honor my work, many can heap praises upon what we have achieved as an individual, but no one can love us as you do. Your words have weight. Your affirmation carries a lot of punch. Your touch no one can replace.

If only we can bring back the time where I would enter your room and automatically take out my shirt so you can once again clean my back and we could just talk. If only I could lay my head on your lap so you can clean my ears again…..

As we celebrate your birthday and God’s amazing grace of extending your life, I know it is our time to give back and our time to honor, love and care for you. Mama, I don’t need to say stay strong, because you are. You are a fighter like Paul who declared, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. That is also my prayer for you, Papa and the whole Sy family.

Mama, I love you so much.

Dennis