Hal and Sylvia Sawelson have been dear friends of Cindy’s and mine for over 40 years. Hal led a very successful ophthalmology practice in Miami and Sylvia was his Office Manager for much of his career. However, Sylvia was also a very accomplished singer, using the stage name of Sylvia Bennett. Her honors include a Grammy nomination for the album named Sentimental Journey that she did with Lionel Hampton and singing at the Presidential inauguration parties of both George H. W. Bush (41st) and his son George W. Bush (43rd). Sylvia continues to sing professionally and has produced numerous albums in English, Spanish, and French. Cindy and I have attended numerous concerts she gave in Miami and also two that she has done in Paris and Dublin.
Last year when we visited Hal and Sylvia in Miami, Sylvia showed us a new song she had written but hadn’t decided whether to proceed with it. When I heard it, I loved it and told her she needed to produce it. So she did and it is now out on the market and ranked #4 in the Top 50 songs on Smooth Jazz Listener Countdown Charts.
Here are the words to her new song Along The Way by Sylvia Bennett:
Just thinking about the way things used to be
When the world was a better place for you and me
We used to treat each other with love and respect
To love one another with no regrets. No regrets
What happened along the way To change the way we are today
When did we lose the light that kept us together
Where did it all go wrong Or was it like this all along
Don’t you know we need each other
I’m filled with hope that some day things will turn out right.
And we can walk together hand and hand
We’ll look at each other and always smile And we can work together to love again
What happened along the way To change the way we are today.
We found the light that brings us together We can right all the wrongs
We can finally all belong Now I know we need each other
If you would like to hear Sylvia sing the song:
Most weeks when I am thinking about my TGIF topic, my mind considers our messed up world, how did we get here, and how can we fix it? I don’t often write about that because I want my messages to be more uplifting. I had just started thinking about this week’s message a few days ago when I got a call from Sylvia. She told me about the success of this song and thanked me for being her inspiration for moving forward with this song. I did so because I believed her song asks the questions we are all asking right now and provides some hope that we can return to a more normal time and find a way to all get along again in peace and harmony.
Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.
We need to return to the days of showing love and respect to each other, we need to be able to agree to disagree on topics and move on rather than treating others as the enemy. We know that the church has lost a lot of members over the past 40 to 50 years but I believe COVID has also had a major impact on keeping many more people away from God these past 2 years. It is clear that God has been tuned out of many people’s lives. We need to return to a time of Godly love and respect for each other.
Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
We need to be able to forgive each other, walk hand in hand and smile together again – we need each other. Jesus died on the cross for my sins and your sins. He has forgiven me for my multitude of sins and I must be willing to turn the cheek for other people as well.
1 Corinthians 13:13 – But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Our faith and hope will be achieved when we arrive in heaven. However, love is a God-like virtue that is everlasting. Heaven will be the place for the expression of nothing but perfect love between God and each other. So love is also the greatest attribute that we need to show on earth to others.
1 John 4:8 – The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.