We mourn Surfside tragedy, yet the Lord finds ways to bring joy to our lives | Opinion

As we continue to mourn those who were lost in the Surfside condo collapse nearly two weeks ago, we thank the Lord for the lives that were saved, and for blessing us to keep the hope alive that others will come out of the rubble alive. As a believer, I know there is nothing too hard for God and that He still performs miracles.

Yet, even as we are saddened by the Surfside tragedy, the Lord yet finds ways to bring life and brightness into our lives. With me and my family, it was the christening of Loretta Jane Hardie last Sunday (June 27). Lolo, as she is lovingly called, is the newest member of our family to be dedicated to the Lord. What a wonderful day it was!

What started out as a simple baby dedication that was to be at the home of my pastor, Bishop Walter H. Richardson, who is 98, turned into a most beautiful celebration of family and friends. It was also a celebration of a legacy: The christening gown Lolo wore was also worn by her grandfather (my son Shawn) at his christening in 1961. It was later worn by her mom Afra, 35 years ago at her christening. Elder Thojmas P. Edwards, who presided over Lolo’s christening at the short church service last Sunday is 92. And it was his late mother Roxanne Edwards, Shawn’s godmother, who purchased the dress.

When Afra and her husband Bradford Hardie told me they were coming to Miami for a two-week vacation, I was delighted. I cleared my calendar so that I would have lots of time to be with them and time to spoil Lolo. When Afra told me she wanted Bishop Richardson to Christen Lolo, that was just the icing on the cake. Because Bishop is not always feeling so well, we consulted with his wife, Minister Betty Richardson, and decided to bring Lolo and her parents to their home for the ceremony. Since our church is still closed because of COVID-19, this seemed like a great idea.

Then I got a call from Shawn, who lives in Connecticut. “I’m coming down for the christening, Mom,” he said. I was simply delighted. The next call came from Afra’s mom, Mary Anne, who lives in New York. “I’m coming, too,” she said. I was even more delighted. The next call was from my brother Adam and his wife Valerie. They were coming down from Melbourne. Longtime friends Jean Robinson-Simmons and her husband Neal Simmons, and daughter Jamika Robinson and Jamika’s daughter London, 4, were coming from Palm City.

Church was opened for ceremony

As the guest list grew, Minister Betty Richardson thought it would be good to open the church just for the ceremony. She called Deacon Ricky Frager, who obliged, and who also made sure the church was fumigated. So after more than a year, The Church of God Tabernacle (True Holiness) in Liberty City was open last Sunday for Lolo’s noon-day christening celebration. Elder Oliver Gross said the invocation and we sang “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” before Elder Edwards prayed and anointed our baby. Dr. Walter T. Richardson (our pastor’s son and an associate minister) who had just come in that morning from an out-of-town trip, played the piano and said the benediction at the end of the service.

I am amazed at how quickly my plans got out of hand — in a good way. I had planned to have a small reception at my modest home. But when my goddaughter Cecily Robinson Duffie realized how much the party had grown, she said, “Auntie Bea this is too much for you to handle. I’ve got this. Leave it to me. Another goddaughter, Joy Oglesby, got wind of the party’s growth and chipped in to help Cecily. Before I could even ask questions, Cecily had secured a room at a local restaurant to accommodate the 33 guests and harnessed her best friend Tara Paramore, who is also like a daughter to me, to help with the decorations. Longtime family friend Brenda Williams served as Mistress of Ceremony. Lolo’s parents were overwhelmed with joy.

On Monday (June28) Lolo’s parents, Shawn and I, went to Bishop Richardson’s home, gathered at his bedside where he lay, and watched as he “laid hands” on our baby and prayed for her and our family. It was one of the sweetest of times.

As I am writing this column, everyone but Lolo and her parents have made it back home. The Hardies are traveling by car with Lolo and are stopping along the way in various cities before making it back home to New York.

And my heart is so filled with gratitude to the Lord for bringing my family and friends together for the blessed occasion of Lolo’s christening. It brought my first granddaughter Priscilla Rasheda Dobbs Cabrera (this is another story), her adoptive mother Priscilla Adams Dobbs and my handsome little great-grandson Marley, 4, together with us. Our happy tears flowed freely and unashamedly.

God’s love — it never ceases to amaze me. Even in the midst of the Surfside tragedy, He found a way to bring some joy into our lives. Yet, while we celebrated and thanked the Lord for our blessings, we were ever-conscious of the plight of our fellow Miamians. And as he prayed at Lolo’s service, celebrating a new life, Elder Gross remembered those who are yet suffering the loss of loved ones. It is what we do. We celebrate with those who celebrate. And we mourn with those who mourn.

Surfside tragedy prompts self-reflection

The gathering of my family and friends this past weekend caused me to be even more thankful for the gift of life; to tell my friends and loved ones that I love them.

If anything, the Surfside tragedy caused us to think of how fleeting our time here on earth is. Those precious souls in the Champlain condo went to bed, probably thinking of the plans they had for the next day. But sometime in the darkest part of the night, their lives and plans were snuffed out when their building collapsed around them.

While I mourn with our community for the lives that were lost, I am so thankful for the lives that were spared. I am thankful too, for the men and women who are working around the clock, digging through the rubble sometimes with their hands, trying to bring another person alive from the makeshift concrete grave.

So, as the rescuers continue looking for a miracle, we will keep lifting them and the families in prayer. And we will be thankful for the seemingly small joys that God still places in our lives. It is His way of letting us know that even in our darkest days, He still loves us and cares for us. The love of God just keeps on going and giving.