Saturday, December 11, 2010

Did You Know Sylvester?

12/11/2010

I first met this beautiful man on November 18, 2004 in Dallas, Texas at the first of the three Millennium workshops we did together.  Sly, as we all new him at that moment, was very quiet, a little withdrawn, it seemed, not smiling, somewhat wary of what he had gotten himself into, much like the rest of the seventy-plus of us.

Sly Garcia was a handsome figure, very Latin – jet-black hair, damn good looks, and a beautiful smile that lit up the room.  Sly was the quiet one and when he did speak, he spoke is a low, soft voice.  He was quick witted, and quite intelligent.

As time went on, I fell in love with him.  Without divulging any of the Millennium secrets, Sly and I did do some exercises together.  He was “A Powerful, Passionate, Loving Man,” and as we completed the Millennium series, he was the epitome of that description.  It was also that about that time Sly, who didn’t really care a whole lot for his parent’s selection of a name for him, became more comfortable being “Sylvester” rather than “Sly.”

In our last conversation Sylvester told me he was about to undergo bypass surgery.  He had had one heart attack that I was aware of, and apparently other heart related issues, too.  The bypass surgery was to correct the problem and prolong his life.  He had said he wanted to live for his grandson.

I found out yesterday Sylvester did not make.  He had passed away.  His heart was just too weak.

I was driving home from Columbus, Ohio when a friend in Dallas passed the word to me.  I was in tears as she gave me the news.  I called another friend in Albuquerque to let him know, and he and I cried as we spoke of this man and what he meant to us.  It was as if we had lost a brother or a son.

My friend Sylvester will be missed, the world has lost one of the good ones.  I am so very glad he and I got to talk.  I did not suspect for one second this surgery would end his life.  And as the cliché goes, “I know he is in a better place.” What makes feel good, and what I will cling to the times I remember my friend Sylvester is that in our last conversation I got to tell him how much I loved him.

In the past I have written about not missing a chance to tell the people you love how you feel.  You never know when a death might occur and that opportunity will be lost to you and you will regret for ever.  Don’t let it happen.

And that is all I have to say about that…